Corneille Nangaa, the leader of AFC/M23, outlines four reasons why his organization opposes the Tshisekedi government

The Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC/M23) movement’s leader, Corneille Nangaa, has listed four primary motivations for his organization’s struggle to overthrow the Congolese government. In an exclusive interview on Mario Nawfal’s well-liked talk show on Friday, May 16, he blamed the crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo on the breakdown of governmental institutions in what he called a failing state.

The security situation in eastern DR Congo has been worse in recent years due to a large Congolese army coalition supported by Western nations like Belgium. This coalition includes the FDLR, Burundian troops, Rwandan genocidal militia, and SADC forces. Remaining members of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide perpetrators created the FDLR, a militia supported by the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Claiming that Kigali backs Nangaa’s expanding alliance, Kinshasa has made a relentless effort to include neighboring Rwanda in the fighting and war in the east.

Alliance Fleuve Congo is fighting for governance that upholds fundamental human rights, protects all Congolese residents, and tackles the underlying causes of conflict under the leadership of Nangaa, the former chairman of the country’s national election commission. Among other evils that are pervasive in DR Congo, the insurgency has pledged to eradicate corruption, nepotism, tribalism, and the FDLR’s philosophy of genocide.

There have been numerous attempts to address the situation on a regional and global scale, but they have not yet yielded significant outcomes. Nangaa claims that his movement is still looking for answers because the conflict’s primary causes have not been addressed. He listed four major problems that are escalating the conflict:

1. People are being divided by Tshisekedi

Nangaa accused President Felix Tshisekedi’s Kinshasa government of using ethnic divide as a weapon to oppress certain groups, especially the Congolese Tutsi, by depriving them of their citizenship rights and putting them through violence.

Tshisekedi’s government has caused division among the populace by asserting that some Congolese are not Congolese, particularly those who speak Kinyarwanda or have physical characteristics in common with Tutsi groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nangaa stated, “Just because of who they are, many people have been killed and others forced into exile.”

He underlined that in a nation with over 450 ethnic groups, like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, such practices are harmful.

“You cannot rule a nation like the Democratic Republic of the Congo by limiting authority to your personal friends, family, or tribe. For this reason, AFC unites individuals from many communities and geographical areas. We think that institutional reforms are the best course of action; we need to work together to identify and resolve these issues via governance and discussion,” he continued.

2. The state of failure

The leader of the AFC reiterated that President Tshisekedi is solely to blame for DR Congo’s status as a failed state.

“Tshisekedi has corrupted all administrative institutions and destroyed the police and army.” Justice and a functioning state are what we are fighting for,” Nangaa declared.

3. Illegitimate command

Nangaa reaffirmed that there is no electoral legitimacy for President Tshisekedi.

“A fair election has never been won by him. Rather, he has exiled more than 200 Congolese political elites, including former President Joseph Kabila, and imprisoned opposition leaders. He described the condition of affairs in his nation as “unacceptable” and stated, “We are fighting to rebuild a legitimate state.”

4. Poor leadership

The leader of the AFC/M23 movement charged that corruption and poor management by the Congolese government had exacerbated the socioeconomic situation in the nation.

Tshisekedi is a thief and a seasoned liar. He is in power like a tyrant and has destroyed institutions. “We are fighting because the only language he understands is force,” Nangaa said, adding that DR Congo lacks the fundamental elements needed for a functioning state, including a national army, an efficient police force, a reliable administrative structure, and an unbiased legal system.

Any successful country is built on these four pillars. They’re all broken in DR Congo.

Nangaa thinks that a stable state will encourage national growth and business.

Although he acknowledged the part played by foreign parties in the escalating issue, he maintained that DR Congo is the primary cause.

“For almost 30 years, the UN has supposedly been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to stabilize the country, yet the situation has only gotten worse. Less than ten armed groups were there when they got there. There are more than 300 now. However, we Congolese are ultimately to responsible, not simply the outside community. “We made this jungle,” he remarked.

Nangaa stated that the AFC/M23 is still willing to talks at any time and location, even if the Congolese government has refused to hold direct talks.

He stated that the movement is getting ready for a political shift in the future.

“We are prepared to reconstruct the state. A professional army, police force, and legal system will be established, and a national census will be carried out to determine the actual population of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “This will establish the foundation for progress,” he stated.