If there’s one thing Tshisekedi excels at, it’s being consistently unserious at moments of historic consequence.
The so-called negotiations in Doha between his regime and the Congolese political-military movement M23/AFC have collapsed in spectacular fashion, thanks to Tshisekedi’s arrogant refusal to accept even the bare minimum for dialogue.
While M23/AFC put forward six clear and rational preconditions—chief among them the release of 540 political prisoners (mostly Congolese Tutsi) and the lifting of politically motivated death sentences and absurd $5 million bounties on its leaders—Tshisekedi’s delegation responded with a flat “non” that signals this man would rather set the country ablaze than admit defeat.
And defeat, let’s be clear, is exactly what he’s staring at.
Since the fall of Goma and the surrender of Bukavu to M23/AFC forces, Tshisekedi’s army has collapsed into chaos. The so-called national army is now an invisible force—missing in action or hiding behind civilians—while his foreign mercenaries have vanished, peacekeepers are playing cards in barracks, and his remaining loyalists are ragtag wazalendo militias drawn from local gangs and criminal networks.
Tshisekedi’s fantasy of solving the DRC crisis militarily is so delusional it would be hilarious if it weren’t costing innocent lives. This week, the few skirmishes reported weren’t even between M23/AFC and his formal army—they were against the Wazalendo anti-Tutsi militias. Meanwhile, in Kisangani, Tshisekedi’s fleeing soldiers are showing up unannounced, sparking confusion among local authorities who don’t even know what to do with them.
And yet, this mythomaniac still clings to his anti-federalist pipe dream, refusing to consider M23/AFC’s call for a federal state. Worse, while pretending to talk peace in Doha, Tshisekedi continues to funnel arms to the South Kivu front via Bujumbura.
In the end, the sooner the DRC get rid of Tshisekedi, the better for everyone.
Credit: Ellen Kampire
