The eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo has recently plunged into yet another bout of chaos, this time pitting members of a coalition of irregular armed groups, which were mobilised a few months back, to fight alongside the national army in the fight against M23, another Congolese outfit. These groups, under a coalition named Wazalendu, were specifically mobilised and armed by Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and have one common factor; the deep-seated hatred for Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese with Tutsi roots. ALSO READ: Gen Muganga meets head of DR Congo verification mechanism Working closely with FDLR, a terror group that was created and led by perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, and the Congolese government forces; these groups have been wreaking havoc in the region. ALSO READ: New footage suggests FDLR fighting alongside DR Congo army They have systematically unleashed terror on Congolese Tutsi, and continue to be used as proxies by the Congolese government to undermine the regional-led peace process to address the conflict, especially between the government and M23 rebel group. ALSO READ: Rwanda warns against DR Congo’s pretext for attack For instance, after M23 rebels vacated areas they had earlier captured from government forces as prescribed by the peace process, these militia groups under their Wazalendu coalition went back to villages and started killing and looting people’s property, atrocities that government then wanted to pin on M23. The same groups have now assumed government structures, erecting roadblocks where they distort money and food from the poor citizens, escalating the state of hopelessness that has bedeviled the Congolese people for over three decades. The current situation now is the infighting between these groups which and already embedded in communities which has made a bad situation worse. Having been armed by the state, they are now using these guns to escalate terrorism while at the same time plunging into the abyss any hope for a peaceful resolution to the M23 conflict. It is not too late. The situation can still be salvaged but the key is held by the Congolese government. There is goodwill on the part of the regional countries to see peace prevail in the neighbouring country, but without meaningful commitment by the host government, these commitments will only remain on paper.
