Kabila demands the withdrawal of foreign soldiers in the DR Congo crisis

Joseph Kabila, the former president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has demanded that foreign forces leave the country’s east, stating that peace can only be reached when Congolese take the initiative to settle their own disputes.

Speaking to NBC Digital News on March 2, just before departing Namibia, where he had gone to attend the state funeral of Dr. Sam Nujoma, the country’s late founding president, Kabila recalled a similar circumstance in 2001, the year he took office, emphasizing the need for swift action to bring stability back.

In 2001, we made the decision that all foreign forces must withdraw from the Congo in order for peace to be established and to allow the Congolese to freely discuss this so-called peace. And the majority of the troops departed in that manner,” he stated.

“The Congolese were left to handle their own problems, with the assistance and support of Congo’s partners, the region, and the United Nations, of course.”

“Can or will the same therapy perform the same miracle today? We need to discuss that while seated around [a table]. However, I think that nothing matters more to a nation than its ability to make decisions on its own. Hundreds of armed organizations, including mercenaries, are fighting alongside seven militaries. “Now, it’s a very undesirable situation when you have such a mixture,” Kabila stated.

In reference to the nature of the ongoing struggle in his nation, he offered the following advice: “Congolese people know better, they know best because they have been there.” They went down the valley after climbing that peak. There is yet another peak to ascend. They are the ones who understand their sorrow the best.

“I am aware that the initiative aims to bring in mediators from West Africa and other African nations, but I believe that the first step should be to ensure that no mediator claims to know the Congo better than the Congolese themselves.”

According to him, the performers’ good intentions and good will should be the second phase.

“And thirdly, of course, what are the assurances that the peace we are discussing will be brought about by what you are doing?” Kabila said.

The former Congolese president emphasized his plans to help the Congolese and Africans in general when asked about his future plans.

Only God knows, but since Congo is an African nation, we intend to be readily available to help our nation, its citizens, and the surrounding area. Another African nation is Namibia. Additionally, he stated, “We should be considering the continent as a whole, not just our small countries, if you don’t mind.”

“As a continent and as Africans, we are stronger and bigger than just being Congolese, Namibians, and so on. We therefore still have some energy to serve because of that reason.

Kabila stated last month that South Africa should cease sending troops to back President Felix Tshisekedi’s “tyrannical regime” and that any attempt to resolve the DR Congo problem that overlooks its underlying roots will not result in enduring peace. “Efforts to end the crisis will be in vain if the crisis and its root causes are not properly addressed,” Kabila stated in an opinion piece that appeared in the South African newspaper the Sunday Times.

Tshisekedi, who has pledged to use force to put an end to the war with AFC/M23 rebels, was challenged by him to see the situation as “political, social, moral, and ethical.”

“The issue of national and foreign armed groups present on Congolese soil must be resolved in order to restore peace and stability in the eastern regions of [DR Congo].”

“The crisis is not limited to the careless actions of M23, which are falsely portrayed as a group of anarchists, proxies of a foreign state with no legitimate demands of their own, or to disagreements between two neighboring countries, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, as the authorities in Kinshasa would have everyone believe.”

The DR Congo army coalition’s drones, Sukhoi fighter jets, and mortars attack and demolish villages in South Kivu Province that are home to unarmed Banyamulenge residents. The deputy coordinator of the AFC/M23 insurrection, Bertrand Bisimwa, stated on Tuesday, March 4, just one week after AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka claimed that Kinshasa was still utilizing assault drones directed by MONUSCO intelligence to massacre civilians in Minembwe, Uvira, and the adjacent territories.

To no avail, the Banyamulenge community has previously appealed to the world community to step in and put an end to the ruthless murders that are being committed against them in Minembwe, South Kivu Province.

In 2021, the FDLR, more than 10,000 Burundian soldiers, 1,600 European mercenaries, and South Africa-led SADC forces joined the Congolese government army alliance to fight the M23 insurgents. M23 is currently a member of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), a broader rebel group that was established in December 2023.

After defeating a sizable Congolese army coalition that included hundreds of European mercenaries, FDLR, Wazalendo, Burundian armed forces, South African-led SADC forces, and UN peacekeepers, the rebels have been advancing across North and South Kivu provinces since January, liberating large areas of land.

On January 27, the rebels took control of Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, after intense fighting sparked by persistent violations of a previous truce by the Congolese army coalition. They then promptly proceeded to secure and stabilize the situation and restore order in Goma.

The rebels made another move as the security situation in South Kivu worsened due to reports of atrocities, bloodshed, and looting spread by the Congolese army coalition. They swiftly took control of Kavumu’s vital airport before advancing south on February 15 to seize Bukavu, the provincial capital.

Prior to it, they were being urged to secure the entire city and go in as soon as possible. People in North and South Kivu regions that are under rebel control are glad that the Congolese army coalition is not interfering with their tranquility.

However, violence and insecurity persist in South Kivu’s Hauts-Plateaux, especially in Minembwe and the neighboring districts, which are home to the Banyamulenge.