By Eloge Kaneza
In his December 13 speech on the state of the nation delivered at the Palace of the Nation in Kinshasa, the capital of DR Congo, President Felix Tshisekedi openly accused Rwanda of forcing civilians out of their villages of origin and then seizing their houses, land, and property for their own people.
According to the Congolese head of state, his country must act to fight this deliberate effort at repopulation – which he says violates the charter governing the member countries of the East African Community of States (EAC).
“Beyond the massive displacement of populations caused by the war, an alarming phenomenon is observed: the gradual depopulation of certain strategic territories, followed by their repopulation by foreign populations established by Rwanda. These dynamics raise major issues in terms of national sovereignty, demographic balance and social cohesion, requiring an urgent and coordinated response,” he said before the two chambers of Parliament meeting in Congress at the People’s Palace.
“Being a sovereign nation, we must take measures to annihilate the enemy of our country, which is Rwanda and all its collaborators who attack us every single day,” added Tshisekedi.
Some displaced civilians confirm that the invaders are clearly not from DR Congo. “At my house in Bwiza,” said one resident of the Swahili-speaking community who was forced to flee to Lushagala, “my house and those of my neighbors are all occupied by unknown people who only speak Kinyarwanda. They are all unarmed civilians.” Kinyarwanda is a language from Rwanda.
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Other civilians indicate that the fields surrounding some villages are now being cultivated by new settlers installed by M23, the principal armed rebel group in DR Congo that has been labed a terrorist organization by the Tshisekedi government/
Jeanne Nyirahabimana is the mother of young children now living at Rusayo 2, a site for internally displaced persons near Goma. She is from the village of Rushinga in the Bashali area of Masisi territory.
“Life is difficult here in the camp. Yesterday I came back from my home village. I thought I could cultivate my fields in Rugebeshe, a village next to my home village. When I got there, I found myself a foreigner because the fields are cultivated by people we don’t know. One of the women who is cultivating my field told me that she does not recognize me as the landowner and that she cultivates my field under the orders of the local authorities (M23). So I was scared, and I thought it was good to flee,” Nyirahabimana told Amjambo Africa. She added: “My case is not isolated. The fields of several other displaced families are now occupied by unknown persons. Nobody knows them, we can’t lie and say that they are Rwandan or not.”
The United Nations has recently announced a record of nearly 7 million internally displaced people in DR Congo. So far, however, no independent organization has substantiated the Congolese president’s accusations of M23 involvement in the forced displacements and resettlements in Masisi, Nyiragongo, and Rutshuru.
What is life like in areas occupied by the M23?
Life continues normally in areas under occupation by the M23. The rebel group has set up a parallel administration and collects taxes. Schools remain open and civil servants are paid.
Amjambo Africa contacted Lieutenant-Colonel Willy Ngoma, M23’s military spokesman, for a reaction to the allegations of deliberate repopulation by Rwanda in DR Congo.
“We are Congolese, and we are proud to be so. We are in Rutshuru and Masisi because this is our land. Why would we allow Rwandans to come and occupy our fields and our homes? No, we are shedding blood to reconquer the territories under occupation of the FDLR (Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda), a movement of Rwandan Hutu génocidaires, and Kinshasa prefers to ignore this. We hear from the Congolese government all the time that we are Rwandese, but we are proud to be Congolese,” said Ngoma.
In the meantime, all efforts to find a solution to the crisis in eastern Congo have so far proved to be in vain. On December 22, a summit planned for Luanda, Angola between Presidents Kagame and Tshisekedi was cancelled at the last minute. Rwanda is demanding direct talks between the Congolese government and the M23 rebels, as well as serious steps to “eradicate Congo-fueled FDLR génocidaires.”
No new date was established for the summit. On the ground, M23 continues to advance. Since December 22, it has already taken at least five villages and towns.
The Congolese authorities accuse Rwanda of supporting this Tutsi rebellion, allegations which the Rwandan government has consistently refuted.
