DRC crisis: It’s back to the future

In a statement issued on Saturday, February 1, SADC said an immediate summit of the two blocs should be held to find a way forward. “[The] summit called for an immediate joint summit of SADC and the East African Community (EAC) to deliberate on the way forward regarding the security situation in the DRC, as proposed by the 24th extraordinary meeting summit of heads of state of the EAC.”

This comes as the DRC, South Africa, the United Nations, and the international community accuse Kigali of fighting alongside M23 rebels, said to be exploiting Congo’s mineral resources and abusing human rights. Rwanda denies the allegations.

Line in the sand?
The SADC forces have lost dozens of soldiers since the M23 resumed fighting in the eastern DRC. The bloc lost 16 soldiers during the capture of Goma City, prompting Cyril Ramaphosa, the South African President, to call his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, and allegedly make clear that any other such attack would be considered a declaration of war.

Mr Kagame insists that SADC forces are fighting alongside the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a rebel group that he accuses of fomenting the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

In their meeting, the SADC heads of state said they would continue supporting the DRC to safeguard its territorial integrity.

“[The] summit reaffirmed its solidarity and unwavering commitment to continue supporting the DRC in its pursuit of safeguarding its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, as well as sustainable peace, security, and development,” the statement reads in part.

Rwanda is uncomfortable with SADC forces being in the eastern DRC, saying they have failed to fight all armed groups, including those that want to topple his government.

Tensions in the eastern DRC are threatening to lead to another regional war, mirroring battles in the 1990s and early 2000s when SADC countries battled Uganda and Rwanda troops, forcing them to withdraw from the DRC.

Uganda and Rwanda have in recent times also witnessed growing friction between themselves, leaving the latter with few allies, if at all.

During that time, Mr Kagame’s belligerence put him on a collision course with Jakaya Kikwete, former President of Tanzania; Joseph Kabila, ex-DRC leader; the latter’s father and ex-DRC leader, Laurent Kabila (now deceased); Dos Santos, former president of Angola; Pierre Nkurunziza, former president of Burundi; his successor, Évariste Ndayishimiye; and former Zambia presidents, Frederick Chiluba (now deceased) and Edgar Lungu.

First Congo war
Two years after the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) captured power and Mr Kagame held the posts of Vice President and Defence Minister for Rwanda, he started accusing Mobutu Sese Seko, the president of Zaire (now the DRC), of aiding Hutu extremists.

In 1996, Rwandan and Ugandan forces backed by Congolese rebels entered the DRC, allegedly to dismantle Hutu extremists’ camps. They, however, later turned on Congolese forces, leading to the toppling of Mobutu’s government.

A year later, Uganda and Rwanda backed Congolese rebel leader Laurent Kabila into taking the reins of the DRC presidency. Before Kabila Sr. could settle in the presidential seat, Mr Kagame accused him of targeting Tutsi minorities and failing to deal with extremist groups in the eastern DRC.

In September 1998, Mr Kagame said Kabila Sr.'s leadership was carrying out genocide against Tutsis. Rwanda and Uganda's intervention to topple Kabila Sr. failed, and parties agreed to a ceasefire. Even during the ceasefire, Mr Kagame often accused Kabila Sr. of re-arming the fighting minorities in the eastern DRC.

Mr Kabila Jr., who succeeded his father upon his demise on January 18, 2001, had to suffer attacks from Rwanda as he insisted on ridding the eastern DRC of the rebels. Observers say the same template is being applied to Felix Tshisekedi, the current DRC president.

Once Were Close
When Mr Kagame became the president of Rwanda in 2000, his first victim of public outrage was Uganda.

While addressing Parliament, Mr Museveni had referred to the Rwandan leaders, who fought the Luweero Bush War alongside him, as boys. Mr Museveni accused Kagame’s government of failing to establish an inclusive government.

In response, Mr Kagame told Mail and Guardian in June 2000:

“For Museveni, if his forces are not in charge then there should be fighting. It’s a very bad attitude.”

Uganda and Rwanda had gone to the DRC to help rebels topple Kabila’s government, but they later turned on each other, leading to the collapse of their Congo mission.

Both countries signed a UN-mediated ceasefire, and each party promised to withdraw its troops from Kisangani. A year later, both presidents entered into negotiations mediated by the UK Secretary of State for International Development, Clare Short, in London.

In a letter to Ms Short, Mr Museveni allegedly described the Rwandan leaders as ideologically bankrupt. However, President Museveni declined to go into full war with Rwanda. When asked by journalists why he didn’t retaliate, Mr. Museveni said the Ethiopia-Eritrea border war was instructive.

More accusations
In February 2001, Mr Kagame strained relations with the then-president of Zambia, Chiluba, who was mediating warring parties in the DRC, accusing him of being biased and a supporter of Hutu militias behind the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Mr Kagame refused to attend the Lusaka Peace Accord in Zambia to end the war in the DRC, despite the new Congolese leader, Kabila Jr., attending after his father’s assassination. Mr Kagame accused Chiluba of siding with the DRC, which strained relations between the two countries.

A month later, the Rwandan president visited South Africa and later Zambia to mend fences with Chiluba.

Mr Kagame would bring up similar allegations against another Zambian president, Edgar Lungu, nearly 19 years later, which again caused tension between the two countries. This time, Mr Kagame’s leadership claimed that Mr Lungu was bankrolling several Rwandan rebel groups, including one led by Maj. Callixte Nsabimana Sankara of the National Liberation Front and another by Rwandan dissident Paul Rusesabagina, to launch attacks on Rwanda.

Standoff with Burundi
Burundian leaders have also endured a barrage of verbal attacks from Rwandan leaders for decades. Mr Kagame has often referred to Burundi as being poorly led and in intensive care.

In 2015, former President of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza (now deceased) accused Kagame’s government of training Burundi rebels and planning a coup to overthrow him, which he termed as Rwandan aggression. Rwanda denied the allegations.

A frosty relationship continued even after Nkurunziza’s death in 2020. His successor, Évariste Ndayishimiye, made similar claims against Rwanda, prompting him to close the country’s border with Rwanda after Red Tabara rebels attacked a village in Burundi and killed a dozen people.

Rwanda later issued a protest note when Mr Ndayishimiye made remarks supporting Rwandan youth in their struggle for "liberation."

Mr Kagame later said Mr Ndayishimiye lied about his country's deployment of troops in the DRC.

“I told him, this is dangerous, and you understand the implications. You are actually threatening us with your presence in support of the FDLR near our border,” Mr Kagame said in March last year.

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