Following his tour of Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu in eastern DR Congo, Alain Destexhe, a former Belgian senator, said that he found the city to be peaceful as inhabitants went about their businesses in normalcy. In a long post shared on X, Destexhe said that since the fall of Goma into the hands of M23 on January 27, a new order has been instated allowing restoration of life activities, with significant improvements in most cases, far beyond the “chaos” before the capture of the city. VIDEO: Bukavu residents relieved as M23 secures city, battles genocide ideology The M23 fought for the protection of Congolese Tutsi in the eastern DR Congo against the Congolese government forces (FARDC) alongside militia groups including the genocidal FDLR, Wazalendo, and troops deployed SAMIDRC, Burundian troops, and European mercenaries. FDLR is a DR Congo-based terrorist group formed by remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Integrated into the Congolese army coalition which is battling the AFC/M23 rebel movement, the genocidal militia joined forces with Kinshasa’s allies, with a plan to attack Rwanda. The genocidal militia’s genocidal ideology is the biggest threat to Rwanda, and the region. According to Destexhe, water and electricity in Goma have been restored, all businesses are open, except for financial institutions. He noted that trade from the surrounding areas and with the Rwandan border has increased, allowing the stabilization of prices for some basic goods. Previously, traders and transporters suffered bans or arbitrary taxes along the roads by some militia groups in the area. ALSO READ: M23 says will ‘not passively watch’ as DR Congo bombs, massacres Banyamulenge With the discretion of police and military presence in the area, people’s livelihoods seem to improve with locals having a positive image of M23, he said. “The reputation of the M23 forces, seen as incorruptible, marks a clear break with the previous situation,” he said. “Drivers now obey red lights and are no longer victims of police racketeering. Another striking change is the cleanliness of the city. Once overrun with rubbish, it was cleaned up during the Salongo, a community work organised by the new authorities,” he explained, maintaining that the cleaning process is ongoing. “Today, motorcycles and trucks – formerly banned by FARDC because they came from the M23 zones – circulate more freely, facilitating the supply of Goma.” International community’s blind eye questioned He highlighted that the international community deliberately overlooked the presence of Romanian mercenaries in the fighting in eastern DR Congo involving the coalition of Congolese forces with militia groups and foreign troops against M23. “The scandalous presence of these European Union nationals has not been emphasized enough. Is this legal under European and international law?” he said. The mercenaries hired by Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, were heavily paid around $5,000 per month, according to a contract reviewed by BBC, while the Congolese soldiers took home a meager $100 monthly salary which was frequently delayed or unpaid altogether. The Geneva Conventions’ Additional Protocol I (Article 47) and the 1989 UN International Convention criminalize mercenary activities aimed at destabilizing governments. “The conflict also involved the Wazalendo, ethnic militias with brutal practices of ethnic cleansing against the Tutsis, financed by Kinshasa and also the FDLR, descendants of the genocidal Rwandan army (FAR) of 1994, also financed by President Tshisekédi. Why does the international community accept this?” Destexhe said in his post. ALSO READ: Amb Nduhungirehe: World powers refused to listen to Rwanda on FDLR threat Moving around Goma, he found that camps of displaced persons had been emptied, “either through fear of fighting or as a result of the M23 policy encouraging people to return to their villages.” According to him, the camps had become “a real humanitarian business for some international organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations”, noting that many displaced persons preferred to stay there with intentions of getting free food and care, and some benefited from the aid while having their fields cultivated by others. He condemned the attitude of certain humanitarian organizations that “act as if they are in conquered territory” and “display flashy logos and flags” instead of being cautious while moving in isolated areas around Goma that maybe harbouring Wazalendo or FDLR. “Some NGO projects are just money pumps and have no use,” he added. Healthcare status and environmental threat Being a medical doctor, Destexhe was compelled to visit the main hospital in Goma which was overwhelmed by the influx of wounded people during the fighting, and is currently treating fewer patients, especially the former FARDC combatants, sometimes just teenagers, and a few wounded civilians. “A month after the end of hostilities, the hospital is still full of young wounded people, mostly more than 95 percent of the staff have remained in place and have done, from what I can judge, a remarkable job.” However, his tour to the north of Goma showcased a wall of earth bags stretching for several kilometers, and signs of where Congolese soldiers had entrenched themselves in the Virunga National Park, registering their passage in the destruction of the environment. “I saw hashish plantations there at the foot of the defense line. The beautiful forest has disappeared and the animals have been massacred. The M23 claims to want to preserve the park and has set a deadline for the harvest of illegal crops before banning new plantations.” Light on Munzenze prison horror While some people accused the M23 for the tragedy that took place at Munzenze central prison where male inmates broke out of their cells and female prisoners were raped, the Belgian senator said that the chaos happened before the rebel group entered Goma. “The male prisoners set fire in the hope of escaping, which they succeeded in doing. However, the flames spread to the women's section, whose doors were locked in the absence of the guard holding the key, according to the testimonies I collected. Dozens of women died, burned alive.” He noted that unconfirmed versions indicate that the women inmates were raped by the male prisoners, then locked them up and burned alive. “Contrary to what The Guardian wrote in its propaganda against the M23, the events took place before the latter took the city. The visit to the site is striking.”
