Goma, DR Congo: Protesters demand Burundi, SADC drives out

In Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, hundreds of demonstrators in the Himbi district demanded Friday, January 31, that Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi be removed and that Burundi and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) withdraw their troops from the nation.

The rebels were applauded by hundreds of civilians, primarily Internally Displaced civilians (IDPs) from several camps surrounding the town that were overrun by the AFC/M23 rebels on January 27.

However, they condemned Tshisekedi’s governance of the nation, especially the war in the east, where over 200 armed factions have been wreaking devastation for years. The M23 rebels began fighting in 2021 against a Congolese government army alliance that comprised the murderous FDLR militia, more than 10,000 Burundian troops, 1,600 European mercenaries, and South Africa-led SADC forces.
 
After surviving the rebels’ onslaught on Goma, about 300 mercenaries turned themselves in and were granted safe passage back to their homes via Rwanda.

A day after rebel leader Corneille Nangaa announced that they would continue the march of liberation all the way to the vast country’s capital, Kinshasa, protesters shouted, “We want our rights! We don’t want Tshitsekedi!” while holding signs that read, “TUNACHOKA NA TSHISEKEDI [we are tired of Tshisekedi]” and “TUNAOMBA FORCE ZA BURUNDI NA SADEC BARUDIYE KWABO [we ask Burundi and SADC forces to go back home].”

A 35-year-old mother of five named Evelyne Kabongoli Tafazali, who lives in the Buhimba IDP camp outside of Goma, told The New Times that she left her village in Kiabondo, which is in Minova, South Kivu Province.

“I am so happy because ever since M23 arrived here [Goma], they have made sure that there is security, that we don’t hear bombs anymore, and that government troops aren’t harassing us,” she added. However, we are struggling and lack food and water at the [IDP] camp. Our houses have been devastated back home. We want to receive assistance so that we may return to our regular lives. 

Tafazali has nothing good to say about the Kinshasa regime.

The present regime is something I detest. They have caused us to suffer, therefore if I possessed poison, I would poison them. We haven’t experienced peace since they took over. 

According to Nangaa, the rebel coalition he leads seeks to address “poor governance and a failed state.”

His nation might be among the richest in the world, but colonization, weak governance, and corruption have made it one of the poorest. Despite having abundant natural resources, including copper, gold, and diamonds, and being one of Africa’s most fertile nations, it is nonetheless among the continent’s poorest and most unstable nations.

AFC/M23 Executive Secretary Benjamin Mbonimpa told the protesters on Friday that because security is now assured, they should go back to their homes so they can begin “working hard to rebuild your lives.”

We are marching to Kinshasa because Tshisekedi rejected the path of negotiations, he said. We will end that, even though we know you have endured a great deal of suffering. We shall do every effort to restore normalcy.

The rebels have pledged to eradicate genocide ideology and hate speech “because every Congolese citizen must feel free in our country.”

“The Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC/M23) fully acknowledges the intolerable suffering endured by the people of Goma,” the rebels declared in a statement on January 24. Their appeal for freedom and harmony has been heard. As a result, we implore the Congolese people to maintain their composure and get ready to welcome AFC/M23, which is steadfastly dedicated to establishing peace and stability in the area. We are moving on to free our fellow citizens in Goma and to give the Congolese people their security and dignity back.

Among other things, the rebels charge the Congolese army with working with militias like the FDLR, which have been persecuting Congolese Tutsi populations and destabilizing eastern DR Congo for almost 30 years.

Rwanda and DR Congo ties have been impacted by the conflict, which has not been resolved by a number of regional peace attempts. Kinshasa has accused Kigali of aiding the rebels. The Rwandan government denies the accusations and issues a warning that the Congolese army and FDLR are working together, endangering Rwanda’s security.