Kanyuka: M23 wants to have discussions, but not in a “toxic environment”

Peace negotiations with the government will be feasible once “a conducive environment” is established, according to a spokesman for the M23 rebels in eastern DR Congo.

Kanyuka gave an explanation for the rebels’ withdrawal from the direct talks with Kinshasa that were set for Tuesday, March 18, in an interview with Russian broadcaster RT. The rebels are members of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC). Since the M23 rebellion reappeared in November 2021, these would have been the first direct discussions.

“Our group has been advocating for direct negotiations with the Congolese government to address the underlying causes of the conflict and bring about enduring peace in our nation, and the government has consistently refused,” Kanyuka stated.

The discussions between Kinshasa and the rebels, who have seized two key cities in eastern DR Congo since January, were arranged by Angolan President João Lourenço following a meeting with Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi on March 11.

Prior to declaring on Monday that the talks were “impracticable” in light of European Union sanctions on some of its members, the rebel group had consented to the talks and travel arrangements had been advanced.

According to Kanyuka, “the coalition of government forces had been attacking heavily populated areas for a week, killing and displacing many of our compatriots.”

We had sanctions from some international organizations on the day of the eagerly anticipated negotiations, which placed pressure on us and created a hostile atmosphere for us to continue talking about the situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

For this reason, our organization has decided that it is a bit excessive. We require a conducive setting in which to debate this crucial issue.

He said that he did not comprehend the rationale behind the EU’s decision to censure AFC/M23 members the night before the negotiations.

“Western nations should stop interfering and creating more chaos and instead let Africans handle their problems on their own,” Kanyuka stated.

He went on to say that the Congolese government had disregarded several accords intended to put an end to the conflict, which has been reoccurring for almost thirty years.

The M23 rebels are fighting to protect Congolese Tutsi communities who have been persecuted for decades by Kinshasa-backed militias like the FDLR, which is connected to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, but Kanyuka claimed that the Congolese government lacked the political will to put an end to the conflict.

He declared, “We are fighting to free our people from bad governance, xenophobia, apartheid, and hate speech.”

“We require progress… The people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are not reaping the benefits of the abundance of minerals and wealth that lie beneath our soil. We want to liberate our people from embezzlement of public funds and corruption.”