By Kim Heller
The Congo has rarely known peace. It is as if peace is hovering above the nation, uncertain whether her delicate wingspan will endure the scorch of the red-soaked earth below. The Congo is the Continent’s heart of darkness: yesterday and today.
Caught in the ruins of colonial ravage, tarnished by decades of civil war and with the relentless plunder of mineral wealth, prospects for a peaceful tomorrow remain fragile.
Years of war between the Congolese armed forces and over one hundred militia groups have transfigured the DRC into an ugly and bloodied battlefield.
By all accounts, the current President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Félix Tshisekedi, has failed to broker peace. It is a matter of record that the President of the DRC has been notably absent from several regionally mediated peace initiatives.
However, this week, Tshisekedi sat beside the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, in Doha, Qatar in a meeting hosted by the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The purpose of this historic meeting was to help settle the conflict in the DRC and avert further instability in the Great Lakes region.
The Doha meeting occurred at a challenging time for President Tshisekedi, who has been significantly weakened and is losing control. The M23 rebels, reportedly backed by Rwanda, have captured Goma and Bukavu and are advancing towards mineral-rich Katanga. Soldiers from the SADC mission in DRC (SAMIDRC) have withdrawn.
This week, Journalist Joseph Rwagatare wrote in The New Times that Tshisekedi has “suffered a humiliating defeat on the battlefield” and incurred huge defence costs on military equipment and foreign lobbying.
The foreign minister of DRC has allegedly approached several Western nations to impose sanctions against Rwanda for its alleged involvement with M23. This has had a very negative impact on the regional peace process. Peace talks in Luanda, Angola, scheduled to take place this week collapsed after M23 withdrew because of the imposition of European Union sanctions and ongoing attacks against civilians by the Congolese army. The M23 objected to the sanctions imposed on several of their leaders, arguing that such measures undermine direct dialogue and make progress impossible.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Angola has expressed its intent to ensure that the Luanda peace talks still take place at a "timely time” and have reaffirmed that dialogue is the only lasting solution for peace in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Meanwhile, it is out of Africa and in the Middle East, that the destiny of the DRC is taking shape. A joint statement issued after the Doha meeting reaffirmed the commitment of all parties to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. There was due acknowledgement of the progress made in the Luanda and Nairobi peace processes and the joint EAC-SADC summit held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The statement emphasises agreement by the Heads of State on the need to continue the discussions initiated in Doha “to establish solid foundations for lasting peace as envisioned in the Luanda/Nairobi process, now merged and/or aligned.”
The Doha meeting, a grand act of diplomacy, may hold some promise for peace, but it could well signal that Qatar is looking to safeguard its investments in both DRC and Rwanda and upscale its foothold and influence in the strategically significant and mineral-rich region. Like so many other foreign nations.
Tshisekedi’s acquiescence to meet with Kagame in the Middle East rather than Africa is telling. While the M23 has long subscribed to the principle and practice of African solutions for African problems, the President of DRC seems to favour international involvement.
The DRC government is actively wooing foreign governments, including India and the United States, using their mineral wealth as an incentive. This may be the only route to keep Tshisekedi in power. Al Jazeera has reported that DRC officials have offered the United States access to DRC mines and minerals in exchange for training and military equipment for Congolese forces and access to the US military in the DRC.
There is something deeply distasteful about trading mineral wealth for security and military assistance, especially when this appears to be a higher priority than the wellbeing of ordinary citizens.
This week, Joseph Kabila, former President of the DRC, expressed his perspective on the ongoing crisis in the DRC during a meeting with former President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki. Kabila stressed the need for the Congolese people to address and resolve their issues independently and implored Tshisekedi to exercise courageous leadership.
Kabila said, “Congo’s issues are discussed more outside the country than by the Congolese themselves.” Similar sentiments were expressed by M23’s deputy coordinator, Bertrand Bisimwa who has stated, "We cannot claim to make peace in Africa with European glasses and pens. Peace in Africa must be an African affair and an African way” The M23 have long expressed the need for direct talks between the DRC government and rebel groups, without international involvement.
It is not surprising that the DRC’s former coloniser and current ally, Belgium, is leading the charge against Rwanda, at the bequest of Tshisekedi. Rwanda has been sanctioned by Belgium. Tshisekedi has not only encouraged and hailed Belgium’s involvement in the current conflict with M23 but is upping its former coloniser’s mining and mineral rights opportunities within the DRC.
There is something disturbing about the increasing presence of foreign countries as key players and arbitrators in the current affairs of the DRC. None more so than Belgium, the former brutal coloniser of Congo.
* Kim Heller is a Political analyst and author of No White Lies: Black Politics and White Power in South Africa.
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.