The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) spoke Thursday on the security situation in the country in its eastern part, dominated by the aggression and occupation of territories in North Kivu, perpetrated by the group terrorist M23, « with the proven support in men and logistics of Rwanda ».
The Head of State first set out to explain his approach since he came to power. “On the occasion of my accession, I had been led to make a commitment, before the Nation, to restore during my mandate peace and security where they are compromised and to consolidate them where they exist.
No sooner said than done, I immediately and in good faith began to develop, in particular with all our 9 neighboring countries, a close diplomacy with a view to establishing frank, transparent and win-win relations of cooperation with them. said Tshisekedi.
With Rwanda, he continued, « a memorandum of understanding has been signed in the gold trade with a national company, an airline has been opened for the Compagnie Nationale Rwandaise in our country and a no double taxation has been signed. Despite this, this country will surprise us by reactivating the M23 terrorists” who have managed to occupy the town of Bunagana since June 2022.
For the Congolese president, « Rwanda actually has expansionist desires with the main interest of appropriating our minerals and to do this, it is working to destabilize eastern Congo to create a lawless zone with a view to ‘satisfy his criminal appetites’.
“To deal with this situation, we had two options: diplomacy or war. I resolved to favor the first option even if it meant coming to the second for lack of results. The diplomatic option has therefore been implemented,” Tshisekedi said, stressing that “our attachment to the search for peace by peaceful means is in no way a sign of weakness, even less an admission of our country’s incapacity. to be part of a logic of total war against all those who continue to abuse our patience, but rather an expression of our culture of peace and our legendary identity as a hospitable people ».
The Congolese number one says he took part in meetings organized as part of of the East African Community (EAC) and the International Conference of African Great Lakes Regions, all of which have advocated the cessation of hostilities. He also cites a meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame around French President Emmanuel Macron, on the sidelines of the last United Nations General Assembly in New York, again to obtain an immediate ceasefire.
« As you can see, despite our investment and the efforts made in this regard, peace and security are not there », lamented the president, reiterating his « constitutional commitment to defend the Fatherland until sacrifice supreme », as « guarantor of independence, national unity and territorial integrity ».
Furthermore, Tshisekedi invited the “valiant soldiers” who had “undertaken to serve under the flag (…) in the high sense of patriotism at this particularly exceptional time in our history, to defend our country, to protect the integrity of its territory and to ensure the security of Congolese men and women against any aggression or attack from anywhere ».
To his compatriots, he indicated that “the war imposed on us by our neighbors demands sacrifices from each of us. It’s time to silence our political differences to defend, all together, our motherland.
“Beyond any political, ideological, religious and tribal divide, the defense of the Motherland is the only objective that must unite us at this time. The country calls us, the Nation needs the commitment of all its daughters and all its sons”, he insisted, reiterating his appeal to young people “to enlist massively in our Armed Forces”.
By OMA Newsletter N° 924 of 04/11/2022
Article published under the direction of Dr. Najib Kettani
The OMA, NGO with an Intercontinental vocation
For the development of cultural exchanges
Valuing human potential
The promotion and consolidation of Africa’s development, and
Inter-African integration
