The Democratic Republic Of The Congo: Goma Crisis Threat To Regional Peace on February 2, 2025 By Jinbobaraye Karibo-Nelson
The Democratic Republic Of The Congo: Goma Crisis Threat To Regional Peace
It is now almost three decades, when the crisis in violatile great lake Eastern regional city of Goma in Democratic Republic of the Congo started, with heavy violence carried out by the brutal well-armed M23. The M23 Rebels movement were backed by the government of neighbouring Rwanda led by President Paul Kagame, the strongman of Kigali, which was seriously denied by the Rwandan government; but the accusation was corroborated by the United Nations UNO. While Rwanda accused Democratic Republic of the Congo formerly Zaire of harbouring Hutu militia and says it continuous existence in the DRCongo's East threaten its own territory, which DRC denies.
Today there are still thousands of highly trained and well-armed Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) military advisers, footsoldiers, and advanced equipments on the soil of DRC to prop up the rebels in combat and tackle remnants of the Hutu rebels that have taken part in the 1994 genocide and its allied of the former Dictatorial ruler the late self-styled Field Marshall Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire. The M23 are mainly led by ethnic minority Tusti, same tribe of Paul Kagame as Rwanda proxy force who takes up arms to protect the rights of the minority group in Democratic Republic of Congo against the central government in Kinshasa.
For how long shall the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo endure this type of treatment since Independence in 1960 , the DRCongo has not known peace or stability.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, a former Belgian colony, is a country to be envied before and after, in the early years of Independence. Although the post Independence politicians almost destroyed buoyant DRC and its rich bountiful economy. The western nation's know that the Congolese are in perpetual abject poverty since 1960's, the brutal killing of the first Prime Minister of the Congo, the great patriot and Pan Africanist Patrick Lumumba a revered nationalist in the Liberation struggle to free ordinary Congolese citizens from the shackle of the imperialist by agents of the West to destabilize the once prosperous nation to help on their own economics in Paris, Washington, London, Brussel , Berlin and carrieds significant political, economic and security implications for the region.
The remote causes of the violence conflict historical date back to Mobutu era, where millions of people of goodwill and zeal for patriotism all over Zaire and Africa celebrated the overthrown of despotic ruler Mobutu Sese Seko through the barrel of the gun led by Laurent Desire Kabila. His downfall while expected to end the crisis but generated to the present level. The new President Laurent Desire Kabila a Marxist Leninist, he renamed the country from Zaire to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and immediate restructuring of the national Army forces. President Kabila therafter, was quick to realized that is powerful backers Rwanda and Uganda who helped him seized power from the longtime ruler Mobutu are threat to his rule in Kinshasa and unworkable against his former close allies and moved swiftly to expelled them in DRCongo.
Overtime, the two former co-allies challenges the Kabila's rule ; he was shot dead in the Presidential office by a youngman in a Army uniform link to Rwanda, some reports says the gunman was shot dead by Presidential guards officer, but government officials in the capital Kinshasa claimed the yet unidentified assassin had been arrested, directed by Kigali and again the country closer to an all-out confrontation between Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda Armed forces. And Kabila was succeeded by his son Joseph Kabila, which was unanimously picked to replaced him at 29 years of age, then he was the youngest President in the world, from the despotic policy of agent of personality of cults in DRCongo.
It is highly worrisome, if the crisis is not immediately contained political by the United Nations Organisations UNO, African Union and the East African bloc, the Powerful Rwanda will continues to spread it spheres of influence and the inflows of the refugees in the region will seriously destabilise the entire East, Central and Southern Africa regions.
This is especially true in countries where there is no freedom of expression, detention, torture of Political opponents by agents of dictatorial leadership. Underdevelopment, instability and violence will be order of the day in one's nationhood because of bad governance.
I therefore appeal to the government of Rwanda and DRC to remember the huge humanitarian crisis been suffered by millions of DRC 's Congo citizens .
Did you know? The Democratic Republic of Congo is the largest country in Africa in landmark, the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa and one of Africa’s largest natural,minerals resources wealth deposit, thereby making the West easy for exploitation.
President Paul Kagame, 68, who has ruled Rwanda since taking power through the bush war against majority Hutu led government in Kigali since 2000. He was formerly a Commander in chief of Rwanda Patriotic Front ( RPF) a disciplined and well-armed rebel force which invaded Rwanda in 1990.
Since then, he has never spoken about who he will like to succeed him or whether or when he might step-down at the saddle of power. That's African leadership lifestyles.
Actually, I loved Kagame in the early years of his leadership by improving the life of the ordinary Rwandans,economical, political and social. I find in Kagame courage and contempt for material wealth unlike his African contemporary leaders.
Overtime, is long years in seat of power have put him same class of maximum rulership . The war of words between regional leaders South African President Cyril Ramphosa and his Rwanda counterpart Paul Kagame, has awaken our African leaders to these sad reality of how serious the situation really is and how urgent we need to pull our beloved Continent out of the dump. This is a purely a ploy by the West to plunder the resources of Democratic Republic of Congo and the people remain military and economy hostages of foreign occupation.
However, we must admit that the African Union and regional groups have not been active enough to contained it politically; instead of fully engaging on battle field. It is a big challenges were heavy and sophisticated latest weapons and operations tactics by the M23 Rebels and subsequently it deserving victory at the front line is a plus in East Africa’s geopolitics of the foreign enterprises, a repeat which is a threat to regional peace and Africa; with Islamic jihadist in Sahel rampaging and West African subregions following decades of unrest.
Looking back at the DRC crisis, politically, the situation equally problematic because the M23 invaders and it powerful Rwanda backer,were able to cast in on the weak, ill-trained and ill-equipped Democratic Republic of Congo military operations. Rwanda's remarkable life-President Paul Kagame is a man of principles who believes in the power of authoritarian and he will continue keep and kept his footing in the power politics of the East Africa and he will not allow history to repeat itself of Hutu rebels to attack and invade Rwanda and cause anarchy or choas for the citizens mostly his own minority Tusti tribe and moderate Hutu that have suffered heavy massacred by the Hutus in the 1990. Today there are still millions of Hutu rebels operating in Democratic Republic of Congo soil.
Kagame ,with degree of ruthlessness that is almost way of life in Africa leadership and has always hounded exiles opponents abroad and crushed any emerging rivals within the country's weak party political system.
In the face of current situation, gains made by rebels in Eastern DRC ,they will match into the capital Kinshasa if not halt, otherwise this will not be the last we will see the invasion of terrorital integrity of a neighbouring nation.
The crisis was a reminder ,also , of the first and second Congo war from Mobutu ,the Kabila's and now current President Felix Tishekedi.
Finally, the language of the truth ,there's no choice other than political approach because militarily Rwanda backed M23 Rebels movement is superior in battlefield and also, accused of war crimes and human rights abuses by the United Nations and amnesty international etc
if not they will sieze the government of DRC Chief of States Felix Tshisekedi and millions of Democratic Republic of Congo citizens are currently facing one of the world's humanitarian and food insecurity disaster after Gaza in Palestinian conflict in the Middle East and the conflict will be continuing expanding to more devastating height. Peace is Paramount to all. I weep for my beloved continent Africa.
JINBOBARAYE KARIBO-NELSON, JP, SCIPM, FECRMI is a Social Commentator, freelance writer, and Security Analyst, an Alumnus of University of Port Harcourt, a registered member of many professional organizations such as, Fellow of Emergency, Crisis and Risk Management Institute of Nigeria, Senior Member Chartered Institute of Public Management Nigeria, Nigerian Legion, International NGO Safety and Security Association (INSSA), United States Institute of Peace (USIP). He is also, an Elder of Ijaw Youth Council Eastern Zone, Elder (Warisenibo) of Obuoforibo Chieftancy War Canoe House in Ogu Kingdom and member of Wakirike National Congress (WNC) in Rivers State, Nigeria.
He writes from Obuoforibo Compound, Ogu Town, Rivers State, Port Harcourt via .jinelkaribonel@gmail.com ,
karibonelsonj@gmail.com www.karibonelson.com
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