It is a real bad season to be a member of armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo at the moment. The speed by which they are being picked up one-by-one is easy to send shudders in the spines of those still at large. One would be tempted to ask; why now? The Congolese army is suddenly acting with purpose, commitment, but most importantly, delivering good results. When President Felix Tshisekedi came to power, he promised to eradicate armed groups that had been operating in the country with impunity for far too long. Unlike with his successors, he brought sincerity on the table; instead of collaborating with armed groups and arming them to become guns-for-hire, he is hunting them down relentlessly. The biggest casualties have been a group allied to Kayumba Nyamwasa’s RNC, FDLR, RUD-Urunana as well as the Ugandan Islamic group, the ADF. They have seen most of their commanders either dealt with “extreme prejudice” (killed) or captured. FLN has had the double tragedy of seeing two of its successive spokespersons captured. As has been the case in the recent past, some of the hundreds who were captured the last week have been extradited to Rwanda and they will definitely furnish Rwandan authorities with precious information, especially the extent of logistical and diplomatic support they have been receiving from neighbouring states But all in all, the hunting season in DRC has been very successful and productive.
