By Fidèle Kitsa
AS renewed diplomatic efforts are being made to bring about an end to the Rwanda-backed M23 insurgency in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, impacted communities have also been gathering among themselves to reflect on the impact of the war and prospects for peace.
A few weeks ago, more than 10,000 people from DRC and neighbouring Rwanda gathered in Goma, the largest city in eastern DRC, for a youth forum on peace and peaceful cohabitation that was organised by the Catholic church.
Goma-based journalist Fidèle Kitsa attended the event, asking participants how the war has affected them, whether they think the Congolese government should pursue dialogue with the rebels, and if they feel the conflict is distracting from other crises in eastern DRC.
Some interviewees called on the government to end its military-first policy and consider negotiations, while others said past agreements with the rebels and predecessor groups have failed to bring about durable peace.
“When we talk about this M23 rebel movement… we negotiate with them and execute agreements, yet after a while, you see they always come back to the bush,” said Adolphe Shukuru, a resident of Kanyaruchinya, a town on the outskirts of Goma. “I think some Congolese are afraid to negotiate, fearing that in the future these rebels could come back in a new form with so many claims that people did not expect.”
The M23 is led by Congolese Tutsi who say they are fighting because the government failed to implement a 2013 peace accord with the group and because the Tutsi community is being targeted by other armed groups. They belong to a long line of Congolese rebel movements supported by neighbouring Rwanda, which sees eastern DRC as its backyard and wants to maintain political and economic influence there.
Increasing Rwandan support over the past few months has allowed the M23 to massively expand its footprint in North Kivu province, overshadowing other insurgencies in the east and raising the risk of a major regional conflagration.
The Congolese government is leery of negotiating with the group, yet it has struggled with its military operations. It has outsourced the fighting to abusive local militias known as Wazalendo and has struck military alliances with southern African troops, Burundian soldiers, and private security contractors.
As of 28 May, the increased combat saw displacement rise to 1.77 million people – up 16% from a month earlier – many of them to camps in and around Goma. The use of increasingly heavy and sophisticated weapons has led to a surge in civilian casualties.
“When I look at the situation, I feel like my heart is bleeding,” said Rachel Butacha, a Goma resident and activist in the Filimbi civil society movement. She said the conflict has badly affected her clothing business and produced the worst insecurity she has ever seen.
The interviews below have been edited for length and clarity. For more background on the M23 conflict and the humanitarian fallout, check out our in-depth and wide-ranging reporting over the past two years.
Depaul Bakulu, activist, artist, humanitarian, and entrepreneur based in Goma
The New Humanitarian: What worries you the most about this crisis?
Bakulu: What is most worrying is the fact that the M23 rebels continue to advance. For two years we have heard all sorts of speeches seeking to reassure us that the government was doing everything possible to restore peace, but the M23 continues to advance and recruit young people in its path. The last report of the UN group of experts proved that there is the presence of more than 4,000 Rwandan soldiers on Congolese soil as well as the Ugandan army, which also operates in Congo.
Each time the army loses ground, there is an anti-Rwandan sentiment that increases. We studied with Rwandan comrades – we have brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law who are Rwandan – yet the more we feel the involvement of Rwanda… it creates a feeling of hatred, a feeling of anger.
If the international community fails to openly sanction Rwanda or force Rwanda to withdraw its army from Congolese soil, there is a risk that this war will become a civil war and then it will be uncontrollable.
The New Humanitarian: What could be done to end the conflict?
Bakulu: There is no magic proposal, but I think I have ideas to propose to the Congolese state. There is a need in particular to take good care of the military. There are many young people who want to serve this country but they face a lot of injustice. With the little money that we give to the army, nobody has a guarantee that they will be able to educate their child and pay for their house. This [means] there is a lot of betrayal within the army.
From the sub-regional point of view, we must think of a dialogue mechanism that does not directly target the M23 because the M23 is an empty shell. We must tell each other the truth, that we are waging a war against Rwanda, and so we need to try to talk to Rwanda and find out what it really wants.
If we look at the phenomenon of the M23, the Wazalendo, CODECO (an armed group in Ituri), the ADF (an armed group in Beni), and others, the majority are composed of young people. They play the leading roles as actors of violence. I am convinced that if these young people had effective entrepreneurial means if they had support from the Congolese government, they could spread their wings and perform miracles.
The New Humanitarian: Do you think that the Congolese government’s strategy of working with local militias against the M23 is working?
Bakulu: I do not think the Wazalendo phenomenon is appropriate. The state should provide sufficient resources so that the army is well equipped and well supported, and also ensure that the army is sifted through. There are many people from different processes [where former rebels were integrated into the army] that have meant we have many people [in the army] with whom we did not trust. We negotiated in a position of weakness and things were imposed on us. There is also a lot of embezzlement in the army and we should put a justice mechanism in place to wipe and clean the army.
The New Humanitarian: Is the M23 conflict distracting attention from other crises in eastern DRC?
Bakulu: Our focus should not only be on the M23, but also on all of the other crises that are raging. Since the beginning of the year, more than 1,000 people have been killed in Beni by the ADF, and this is also without mentioning the people killed in the crisis linked to CODECO in Ituri. The advance of the M23, and ideas and rumours that revolve around balkanisation, make everyone focus on the situation with the M23, but it is a trap because we lose our compatriots every day [in other areas]. There are even villages being burned in different territories. Every day, there are deaths that we count in Beni and Ituri. We should pay attention to all situations at the same level and with the same degree of urgency – there is no single crisis that is worth more than another.
Jean-Marie Katembo, farmer and displaced person from Kiwanja, in Rutshuru territory
The New Humanitarian: How has the war impacted you?
Katembo: I am a farmer and I fled alone here to Goma. I left my family in Rutshuru, for the sole reason that I have no means to support them here. All of my means and my projects are in Rutshuru and here in Goma. There is no way to restart my agricultural activities because there is no space or arable land. We are forced to sit idly by. Also, everything has to be paid for here in Goma – even if it is water, you have to pay. The challenges are enormous. The little that I earn here in Goma with my small activities, I share with the family who are in [Rutshuru] and life goes on like that.
The New Humanitarian: What do you think could be done to end the conflict?
Katembo: When we give proposals to end this conflict, we are often accused of being on one side, which is not the case. We can resort to a military solution when we have the means and when we commit our forces to the front. But when we orientate the plan towards dialogue, there is also hope. It is up to the government to see how to do it, because there are many paths to having peace – we can use other means than weapons. The church advocates that to have peace, we must accept each other first. If you have love for the other, then you will also have peace.
If the government finds that there will be a solution through war, it should use its resources to dislodge the belligerents, and if it does not have the means to do so, it should look for other ways for people to have peace. We just want peace, nothing but peace.
Rachel Butacha, Goma resident and activist in the Filimbi civil society movement
The New Humanitarian: What worries you the most about this crisis?
Butacha: That our authorities are making us hate the DRC, hate our hometown. I see how the M23 rebels have taken over part of the North Kivu province. We have a whole army and we are under martial law, which means the province is led by soldiers, yet unfortunately there is the most total insecurity that I have ever seen. The situation is getting worse, because when you see what is happening in North Kivu, there is a risk for us to become Rwandans – to be ruled by Rwanda. This is the risk we run if nothing is done. When I look at the situation, I feel like my heart is bleeding.
The New Humanitarian: How has the war affected you personally?
Butacha: This war has affected me a lot. I had a small business selling loincloths, slippers and so on, taking them to Rubaya and Ngungu in Masisi territory [where the M23 is active], but now where can I go? There are other loincloths that I want to sell even in Minova [in South Kivu province, where the M23 has made inroads]. My activities are blocked because I have nowhere to go to meet my customers and sell my goods. When you asked me this question, it reminded me of many things that hurt me. We no longer have any activity and do not know what to do following this war.
The New Humanitarian: Are people reluctant for the government to negotiate with the M23 given past peace processes have not ended the conflict?
Butacha: If we are suffering today, it is because there are agreements that have been signed between them, so what else are they going to sign? We are suffering because of that, because of the agreements. That is why we do not even want to hear these speeches about negotiating.
The New Humanitarian: Do you think that the M23 conflict is distracting attention from other crises in eastern DRC?
Butacha: Yes, because we have a lot of questions about other situations. We wonder about the future of these war-displaced people, when will they return home? There is a famine in the provinces and we hardly talk about it. There are also traumas of the populations that we do not talk about.
Adolphe Shukuru, resident of Kanyaruchinya
The New Humanitarian: What worries you the most about this security crisis?
Shukuru: With this crisis, you realise that everything has gone wrong. Our young people are leading a miserable life, and the economic situation is becoming chaotic because everyone is no longer going about their business as was the case before. There is no more development, and there is famine because people no longer cultivate. If we really cannot find solutions to this crisis, things risk degenerating.
The New Humanitarian: How has the war affected you personally?
Shukuru: This war affects us on all levels. First of all, our children do not study. There are children in areas under M23 occupation who do not have access to school and you will notice that even those who fled and find themselves in displacement camps do not have access to education because the classes have become overcrowded. The children spend all day in the street and no longer go to school. There are also those who worked but no longer have a job and now wander here and there in the camps due to unemployment.
It also affects me because, just when people started to flee, we welcomed displaced people into our family and they built houses on our plot. Many huts were built around us. The toilet that was once used by one family is now used by 5 or 10 or even 15 families, and you understand the outcome. As for food, it is also another burden that is added – [we have] to feed the families because the displaced people are destitute.
The New Humanitarian: What should the government do in your view?
Shukuru: As young people, we only want peace. We want to see our youth, our families, and the entire population return to their respective environments and freely go about their business. We will encourage any strategy taken by the government if – and only if – it will help the population that fled return to their place of origin.
The New Humanitarian: Are people reluctant for the government to negotiate with the M23?
Shukuru: You know, when we talk about this M23 rebel movement… we negotiate with them and execute agreements, yet after a while you see they always come back to the bush. I think some Congolese are afraid to negotiate, fearing that in the future these rebels could come back in a new form with so many claims that people did not expect.
The New Humanitarian: What suggestions do you have to foster peace?
Shukuru: If there was love, everything would end even today. We are the children of the same father and we must develop love between us. I will ask the stakeholders to become aware of this. We cannot be satisfied each time with killing others. We must not always resort to weapons to kill civilians. There are other ways to claim rights. We just want peace, and that everyone lays down their arms.
Alain Buhinyori, business teacher from Goma: ‘Cohabitation is so important’
The New Humanitarian: What worries you the most about this security crisis?
Buhinyori: Our concern is to lose hope of seeing a better tomorrow. We see how young people who had a culture of peace can become demoralised and desperate, to the point that they find the means to enter an armed group and create war here and there.
This unemployment crisis can also be worrying because young people who do not have work, young people who do not see peace in their village, at a given moment, they can give themselves to acts of banditry, to find some wealth in the war. This is what the enemies have used. They play with the weakness of the young.
Things are not going to get worse because we have hope. We are from this category of young people who think that the war will end and we will see how to help each other. There are many projects that occupy young people and that lead young people to always hope that the situation will improve.
The New Humanitarian: What suggestions do you have to foster peace?
Buhinyori: As young people, we must consider peaceful cohabitation and divulging messages that carry messages of peace. It will also help friends who have weapons to abandon these weapons. I do not like war, because war destroys. This war here only divides us, but we are human, we are the same. There are big people who decide and only put us in conflict – but let’s see how we can cohabit, because if we cohabit, we will collaborate well, and if we collaborate well we will not help the enemy to carry out his mission.
The New Humanitarian: Do you think the government should think about negotiating with the M23?
Buhinyori: Considering where we are, with the territories that are conquered by the rebels, how the population is suffering in the case of displaced people, I think that negotiation will be a part of finding a solution. Making [the rebels] leave the spaces that they have already occupied will result in many casualties if there is no negotiation first. But, at some point, we must understand what to negotiate about, and the government must also see how to make a sacrifice to save the whole country, because it is losing its territories.
The New Humanitarian: Do you think that the M23 conflict is distracting attention from other crises in eastern DRC?
Buhinyori: There are other problems that exist, but, because of this war, we forget about them. Currently, there is only one problem in people’s heads: the war. Other problems are hidden behind this war. Many people are starting to say, ‘if we suffer, it is because of the M23’. It is true, because the war affects the economy, affects the social and the spiritual realms. Also, because someone who believes in God, when he sees all this misery, it can affect him too, and he can also lose his belief – and that is something serious.
Butacha spoke to The New Humanitarian after the peace forum, which she did not attend.
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