Currently, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda are at loggerheads threatening the flareup of a war between the two. There have recently been claims and counterclaims of sabotaging one another by supporting their proxies. The African Report (June, 10, 2022) reports that “in late May and early June, as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) accused Rwanda of backing resurgent the M23 rebels, the latter counter-accused the former of working with the Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda (FDLR).” The situation is really apprehensive and dodgy. France 24 (June 17, 2022) reported that a Congolese soldier was shot dead within 25 meters inside Rwandan territory.
Further, France 24 (June 6, 2022) quoted DRC’s President Felix Tshekedi as saying, “I hope that Rwanda has learned this lesson, because, today, it’s clear, there is no doubt, Rwanda has supported the M23 to come and attack the DRC.” Now, the jig is up. It’s upon those responsible to see the light and avoid needless suffering for innocent people in the region. Because of the nature of chronic conflict in the Eastern DRC––––laden with minerals of value that attracts plunders to invade––––the East African Community (EAC) seems to be dragged into this war soon.
Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenyan President who also is the EAC’s Chair issued a statement saying that “in this regard, the meeting of the regional commanders of the respective defence forces, cooperating in the Nairobi Process, scheduled for Sunday 19th June 2022, in Nairobi, should finalise preparations to undertake the deployment of the regional force” (East African, 16 June, 2022). Kenyatta wanted boot on the ground in the DRC. Again, is it feasibly realistic economically and politically? Is this the geopolitical need of the region really? Isn’t this our collective political failure? Have we miserably and purposely refused to learn from the war in Ukraine, the history of apartheid South Africa, conflicts in Cameroon, Nigeria, Somalia, and South Sudan among others––––a hard nut to crack? How can a truly sane person contemplate to launch war at the times Africa is a laughingstock the high and the mighty in the West are using as their pawn in the conflict in Ukraine? The prices and living costs are up. Yet, our sitting ducks are scheming against each other simply because their masters are busy in Ukraine. Who’ll finance this interventional war? Is this the only available solution left for the EAC? Is this EAC’s diplomacy that’s obviously failed even before taking wing? What does its constitution say regarding stroppy countries or members?
What’d EAC do then?
I’m a staunch believer of the unification of Africa. If the EAC would be united to form a one country, I’m pretty sure. It’s what it takes to resolve the conflict in the Eastern DRC. The do-nothing armies all countries have––––always dictators use to intimidate their people and torturing opponents would suffice to quash this war once and for all if they’re realistically and reasonably used for the good of all East Africans. Therefore, unity the bloc and these headless conflicts will die naturally.
Secondly, why doesn’t the EAC want to shun or expel cantankerous members who waste a lot of resources and time fighting or invading other countries to plunder them? Expel them and thereafter take them on militarily if they rebuff diplomatic solutions, which are the most viable for the EAC. The conflict in the DRC needs heads around the table but not boots on the ground as Kenyatta and the like tend to erroneously insinuate without underscoring the impecuniousness their states have been since gaining their political independence.
Thirdly, the EAC may impose diplomatic and economic sanctions against any party to conflict found guilty of violating another’s jurisdiction and rights. For example, any country liable of invading or plundering the resources of another must be punished heavily so that this can send strong signals to all criminals involved in this crime. Such a country, before being expelled from the bloc must be forced to issue an apology to and redress its victim[s].
What can war money achieve?
All members of the EAC are tagged as impoverished realms. The majority if not all live on conditional and nagging aid, vicious beggary and borrowing of which much benefit only rulers who have always pitilessly and shamelessly use their indigents to borrow and pay the same monies they abuse and squander pointlessly. Where can such countries get the money to throw at wanton war while their people have no even running water or stable infrastructure among others? How can rulers of the people that’s still walking unshod like fraidy-cats get such monies if anything? Their people are living in a deplorable pre-adamic era. Why can’t they see this and reckon with it? Why this war and cui bono? Are their foreign masters who are playing African countries on each other in order to keep on exploiting them? Rulers are detached from realism. They deceitfully and practically live like nawabs of the Gulf while the majority of their people live in miseries. They thrive amidst chaos and conflicts. They’ve turned national armies into private ones they abusively and offhandedly order to go to war without themselves participating in it. For them, war’s a productive enterprise and a pretext to cling to power. They live large in a paradise of wealth without delivering amidst the hell of poverty for the majority of their citizens. Power for them is for self-serving but not otherwise. If anything, their refusal to unite their countries makes them new colonial masters. The difference’s that they’re related to us while former ones weren’t. These are own tormentors and disgrace. If our rulers aren’t our new and notorious colonial masters, why’ve they refused to unite their countries that their former colonial masters divided in order to weaken, rule and exploit them cheaply and easily by playing them on each other? Aren’t our selfish and thievish potentates in our statehouses the obstacles to the unification of Africa?
In the end, EAC’s leaders need to ask themselves hard but crucial questions such as: what’d the money they envisage to throw at this useless war could provide to their people economically, politically and socially? How many dispensaries, hospital, roads, schools, and whatnots such money would build? Realistically, the conflict in Eastern DRC needs diplomatic solution but not military. It needs heads around round table but not boots on the ground. It’s never worked anywhere and if it does, it doesn’t bring everlasting reprieve or solution.
Source: African Executive Magazine today
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