Published on : 26/04/2022 – 03:29
The peace consultations that began last Saturday are continuing in Nairobi. About ten groups took part in the work on Monday, mainly from South Kivu. Other armed groups from North Kivu and Ituri are still expected. This weekend, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged all local armed groups in the DRC to “participate” in this political process. Behind the scenes, however, many specialists in the region underline the “vagueness” that reigns around the organization of these discussions.
With our correspondent in Nairobi, Florence Morice
Everyone agrees on the final objective: to bring peace to eastern DRC. But on the method, and the exact nature of the current process, there is a certain wavering. Kenya, which plays the role of facilitator, speaks in its press releases of a ” inter-congolese peace dialogue “. Kinshasa prefers the term ” consultations and requires participants to unconditional surrender thus closing the door to any idea of negotiations.
The list of participants does not seem to have been established in advance. It lengthens day by day with the sandstone of the arrivals. ” All armed groups that agree to cease hostilities are welcome explains Giscard Kusema, deputy spokesperson for the presidency. Still, this gives the process “ a scent of improvisation laments a diplomat.
Especially since these participants have varied profiles: from the known and active armed group, to the almost unknown small group, through traditional leaders from Ituri. “ We don’t really understand the strategy says Jason Stearns, director of the Congo Study Group (GEC) at New York University.
Not to mention the vagueness around the participation of the main branch of the M23 (the Makenga branch), which represents one of the main threats to security in eastern DRC but no longer takes part in the workhunted since Saturday by the Congolese government.
Since Saturday, and the resumption of clashes between M23 and FARDC, the two delegates of the movement present in the Kenyan capital have no longer taken part in the discussions. However, they deny having been excluded on Saturday from the room where the exchanges took place. They speak of a suspension » and say they are waiting for the rest.
There hasn’t been a direct meeting between us since that day, which is a shame. We are all brothers. But we are waiting until we are told the rest. We are here, we are looking for peace, we are here for that. We wait until we are called. (…) The facilitation has suspended and it is looking at what can be done.
Lawrence Kaniyuga, spokesperson for the M23 Makenga delegation