Tuesday, September 3, 2013

UN Scores Military Victory Against M23 in Congo, But That's Only Part Of The Solution

Congo police secure rebel territory, 'national dialogue' delayed

(AFP) – 8 hours ago

KINSHASA — Police in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo moved in Tuesday to secure territory recently reclaimed from the M23 rebels, as the country postponed a "national dialogue" aimed at ending its political, social and military crises.
The governor of the mineral-rich but chronically unstable province of North Kivu said police had been sent into areas recently abandoned by the rebels in the face of a week-long offensive by the military and a new United Nations combat force.
Governor Julien Paluku told AFP police had mostly reestablished their control over a territory known as Nyiragongo, located north of Goma, the provincial capital and the hub around which most of the 16-month conflict has revolved.
"The police have redeployed since yesterday in Nyiragongo, but not over the whole territory because there is still a small part that hasn't been cleared, where we still need to mop up," Paluku said.
"Police units will be deployed like this every time the military goes to reoccupy a place. They will be deployed to lock down the area."
The M23 was launched by Tutsi soldiers who mutinied from the army in April 2012 and turned their guns on their former comrades.
The rebels, who seized Goma for 12 days in November before withdrawing to the surrounding hills under international pressure, retreated this week to around 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of the city in the face of the army's new UN-backed offensive.
As the police moved in to resecure the ex-rebel territory, the Congolese government postponed by three days a "national dialogue" that had been scheduled to open Wednesday.
The nationwide talks, which are supposed to involve the country's political parties and civil society groups, will now open on Saturday in three major cities, said an official from the secretariat charged with organising the process.
"The opening of the talks has been pushed back to September 7 because of the head of state's agenda," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The official said President Joseph Kabila had to open a meeting of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region.
Kabila is due to attend a summit of the 11-country regional bloc Thursday in Uganda, where UN special envoy Mary Robinson is expected to push leaders to revive their moribund effort to restore peace to eastern DR Congo.
Kabila has promised the national dialogue in an effort to tackle the massive central African country's deep poverty, rampant corruption and widespread violence and rebellions.
But most opposition parties have said they will boycott the talks.
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UN Scores Military Victory Against M23 in Congo, But That's Only Part Of The Solution

By IBTimes Staff Reporter

on September 03 2013 1:09 PM

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Congolese armed forces (FARDC) soldiers ride on their pick-up truck as they advance to a new position while battling M23 rebels in Kibati near Goma, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, September 2, 2013. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

Military troops and UN peacekeeping forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have made unprecedented gains against rebel fighters in Goma, a troubled city on the country's eastern border. This could be a a new opportunity for peace talks between various actors in the volatile region -- but after decades of failed negotiations and ongoing violence, some analysts warn that the same old approach won't yield lasting change.

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The rebel group M23 was driven from its position -- the town of Kabati, which overlooks Goma -- on Friday by DR Congo troops and a UN intervention brigade, which continued to pursue the militia even further afield through the weekend. It was the first time UN peacekeepers in the region have used their recently enhanced mandate in full combat.
M23 first seized Goma in November, and thousands of UN peacekeepers already stationed there were criticized for their inability to stop the takeover. Facing international pressure and administrative difficulties, the militants left town after only ten days of occupation. But M23 has remained a threat, and sporadic clashes continued to erupt.
"When there is a military victory like this, it is a chance to advance with a political solution, and that is better for a durable peace," said envoy Mary Robinson, a former Irish prime minister, to Reuters.

But this 'durable peace' could prove elusive; M23 is only the most recent incarnation of a deadly conflict that has simmered for decades. The group coalesced in 2012 but is rooted in an older insurgency, the National Congress for the Defense of the People, which first mobilized in 2004 but was absorbed into the DR Congo army in an ill-fated March 23, 2009 agreement that would give M23 its name.
It is widely believed that Rwanda, and to a lesser extent Uganda, is backing M23 in hopes of destabilizing the DR Congo and laying claim to the valuable minerals that enrich the country's lawless eastern territories. Both countries deny these allegations. Rwanda was nearly drawn into the conflict last week when shelling from the DR Congo spilled across the Rwandan border, killing one woman. The incident occurred while troops were battling M23; Rwanda claims it was intentional.
The relationship between Rwanda and the DR Congo is deeply fraught and endlessly complicated by years of political conflicts. Today's ongoing clashes are overshadowed by memories of the 1994 Rwandan genocide that killed more than 500,000 people there, stirring up ethnic tensions that contributed to two wars pitting Rwanda and Uganda against the DR Congo and its allies between 1996 and 2003, killing millions.
Inside the DR Congo, meanwhile, a government of questionable legitimacy in the western capital city of Kinshasa has been largely unable to enforce security across the vast countryside. In this power vacuum, a kaleidoscope of militant groups continues to assert control over swathes of land and commit human rights abuses against civilians.
Against this backdrop, several domestic, regional and international powers have attempted to broker peace agreements -- some seeking short-term resolutions, others attempting to lay a framework for long-term stability. The most recent of these was the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, signed in February, which set out a broad -- if vague -- plan for international and domestic cooperation. But clashes have been ongoing since then.
A recent, well-received report from a conference of Congolese, southern African and international experts argued that top-down approaches to the DR Congo's most endemic problems aren't enough.
"The Congolese must develop their own solutions to conflict minerals rather than adopting solutions that are given to them by the international community without proper consultation, since these are difficult to implement," found the report, adding that "Congolese civil society groups should strive to claim ownership of existing structures that are designed to tackle the conflict mineral trade, and seek to popularize them in order to contribute to the promotion of peace."
The conflicts that have long stymied development in the poverty-stricken DR Congo are driven by mineral wealth and worsened by a lack of political stability -- and these are largely local problems. So while military victories and international treaties may be part of the solution, the empowerment of Congolese citizens, experts and civil society groups will be paramount. Rwanda and Uganda will also have to be involved, though they still deny backing M23.
For citizens of Goma, the most immediate goal is get back to life as usual. One young cloth vendor told Voice of America this weekend that the the government has a role to play in brining stability back to her hometown. "We want the government to finish the war," she said. "Then we can get clients to buy our fabrics and we can live peacefully."

East and West: Who will Dance to African Drums?

Africans familiar with the board game “Bao” may not be surprised at the recent news that the continent lost over USD 1.4 trillion in illicit cash outflows in the years 1980 – 2009. In moves similar to those done in the ‘Bao’ board game, the continent is robbed of trillions of dollars through a coalition of evil that brings together African elites and elites from developed and emerging economies. In addition, the continent’s resources are continuously “captured” by outsiders and blocked from reaching and benefiting Africans.
An opponent in the “Bao” game is defeated by capturing all the “seeds” (called “kete”) from the front row of the four row game. The opponent can also be defeated by being barred from making a move. In the global board game, Africa demonstrates inability to prevent capture and make strategic moves.
At a recent forum for East African thought leaders held in Kampala, Mr. Monday Likwepa (President, Tanzania Bao Game Federation) brought to life the secrets of the “Bao” game. He demonstrated how the “Bao la Kiswahili” played a crucial role in evolving strategies to survive or deal with occupying civilizations in East Africa’s coastal towns. The game trained future leaders in soft skills and strategic thinking that enabled Zanzibar people to contend against the Oman Arabs domination. The skills also enabled Tanzanians on mainland Tanzania to assert themselves against the British.
Mr. Likwepa shared insights on how drumbeats were also used to mobilize Africans to resist colonialism. He pointed out that the power of the famous WaZaramo’s mdundiko drums. He argued that the mdundiko beats are irresistible.
Thousands of miles away in Berlin, a famous Swedish novelist Henning Mankell argued at a forum of young global leaders that “…if you do not join Africans in their dance, you probably may never know Africa!” In the context of the resurgent competition for Africa’s attention between the West and the East: which of the two will dance to African drums?
East Africans have played “Bao” with the Portuguese, Arabs and Westerners. The Asiatic East is back on the board game. The Arabs and the West did not dance to African drums. They brought their own drums and proved to be good at “Bao;” capturing or simply blocking Africans from making a move. The West’s skills in the “Chess” game came in handy.
Africans have endured episodes of slavery, conquest, colonization and exploitation through neocolonialism. The quest to modernize the continent by the West has left the African people stuck and unable to make a move on the global board game. The continent wallows in subsistence and is unable to utilize the vast natural resources to improve the well being of its people. Will the East dance to African drums?
Having surrendered its drums and board games, Africa continuously battles with international institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to evolve its policies. The East now largely signified by China kept its drums intact notwithstanding its interactions with the West and successfully evolved from donor driven initiatives to become donors. Africa, on the other hand, is still bogged down with dependency on foreign aid. The Chinese have louder drums and a board game called “Go.” The Chinese "Go" is supposed to compete against Africa’s submerged and almost forgotten game of “Bao.” African drums such as “Isukuti” and “mdundiko” previously demonized by the West are to confront their Chinese equivalent.
Africans should revive the irresistible mdundiko and the "Bao" if they have to evolve a strategy to engage the East and the West. Without the continent’s loud and clear drums, it will be difficult to expect others to dance to the beats. Africans additionally risk “Kete” status to be played on the global board game unless investments are deployed in the indigenous games of strategy.
By James Shikwati
The author james@irenkenya.org is Director of Inter Region Economic Network and Publisher, The African Executive Magazine