Saturday 8 June 2013

TO KAMPALA ONCE AGAIN

It's back to Kampala once again, but why? Because Kinshasa is totally confused about which way to go. Where is the confusion coming from? You can read that on Digital Congo which is lashing it out at M23 for deciding to go back to Kampala. According to Kinshasa, M23 is willing to re-start the negotiations because it is caught between the rock and a hard place, those being the UN brigade and the 6000 FARDC, 800 FDLR and thousands of Mai Mai militias paid by Kabila and ready to attack M23. However, everybody knows what happened at the end of May, when FARDC in Goma tried to attack M23, in a bid to incite or open the way to the UN brigade which could  take advantage to start fighting M23. That was what the whole shouting was about around the 22nd May. Of course Kinshasa had to say then that M23 was trying to re-capture Goma. What happened then?

The UN brigade could not enter the fight for several reasons: first they already know they cannot face it off with M23. They initially thought it was a gang of criminals, but now they know it is an organised military force. Secondly, that infamous brigade is taking a long time to structure, countries initially ready to put together 3090 men are now  dragging their feet because they have realized they are getting into a quagmire of historical, political and socio-economical magnitude they had no idea of. Finally, the UN by way of Ban Ki Moon and Mary Robinson have come to understand that the problem in North Kivu is a problem of leadership in Kinshasa, hence for there to be peace, military force is not the solution. This will not please the French contingent that controls the military operations of the UN, which they use to secure their economic revenue from Africa using the lethal weapon of genocide trends. But let leave the French genocide ideologies aside and focus on why go back to Kampala. Ban Ki Moon and Mary Robinson told kabila to go back to Kampala, because they have, at long last, understood that the political solutions to the problems of the DRC are long overdue. I wish to think that they also understood that the CIGRL should be given the chance to see the peace process through with aim of supporting the credibility of regional bodies, which they failed to do in 2009. They have also failed to that in Kampala since December because they have not put sufficient pressure on Kabila to find a solution there. Instead, they watched him ditch CIGRL for SADC where he only garned the support of Jacob Zuma who has his interests in the Lake Albert oil, already secured by his nephew. He also the support of Kikwete whose son is managing Kabila's huge business in Tanzania. Kabila knows that if the whole country rallies behind the M23, he should go back to Tanzania, hence he build a business empire there. Who can blame him?

However, the DRC's peace is greater than Kabila and his two allies from the SADC. The Kivu has suffered enough from the faulty leadership in Kinshasa to be patient and follow the path of peace rather than war. The M23 could show the military muscle if it wanted. Just ask the Tanzanian army in Goma. However, even military men love peace, that why they wear uniforms, to seek and bring peace even if it takes negotiating with stubborn people like Kabila an his per-diem seeker negotiators. That is the reason why the M23 is going back to Kampala tomorrow. Kinshasa doesn't like the idea of the UN supporting a political solution. That is why they are confused by Mr. Toure declaration that his brigade is not going to attack the M23 while it is in negotiation. In fact this brigade is happy because negotiations are likely to exempt them from fighting, but more importantly it will exempt their countries to have to complete the brigade! Any way, let's wait and see whether Kabila will send negotiators to Kampala, his chief negotiator has been re-appointed to the Electoral commission: Malu Malu le cumulateur invetere.

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