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02 February 2025 - 05:40
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The latest copy of the Sunday Times.
The latest copy of the Sunday Times.
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Dear readers,

The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has always been a festering sore in the Great Lakes region. Its neglect has led to an unending war that has sucked in both Rwanda and Uganda.

The genesis of the crisis was the way Mobutu Sese Seko regarded the Banyamulenge people as foreigners because, among other issues, their language, Kinyamulenge, is a mix of Kinyarwanda, the official language of Rwanda, and Kirundi, spoken in Burundi. 

At the conclusion of the Sun City negotiations led by South Africa in 2002, it was agreed the Banyamulenge of the eastern DRC were part of that country and should be integrated into the government. But this has not happened, which explains M23’s continued existence. South Africa correctly embraced peacekeeping as a central plank of its continental diplomatic efforts, but our defence force is falling apart, thanks to years of underfunding. In the past 10 days, 13 of our soldiers have died under circumstances that remain unclear.

Many others, part of a regional effort led by Sadc to keep peace in the eastern DRC, have had to surrender their weapons and seem now to be prisoners of war.

Communication from the summit of Sadc heads of state in Harare on Friday has been scant and unhelpful, if not downright concerning. “Summit called for the immediate dispatch of ministers of defence, chiefs of defence and troop-contributing countries to DRC to ensure that the [Sadc mission in the DRC] troops are safe and facilitate immediate repatriation of the deceased troops and those who are injured,” a statement said.

In other words, those in charge of Sadc are making a “call” to the rebels for the release of the bodies and the injured soldiers. It’s one thing to lose your family members in a war, but quite another to know your government and its neighbours are pleading with a rebel group to release them. Nothing screams powerlessness more than this communiqué by the Sadc heads of state.

Part of the problem in the eastern DRC is that, as alluded to by former president Thabo Mbeki, those who have led the country, including during Sese Seko’s time (1965 to 1997, when it was still known as Zaire), have refused to accept that some of those living in that area are lawful residents of the DRC. “Mobutu took the position that these [people] are foreigners,” Mbeki reminded us. They were then driven into Rwanda — and the result has been endless war.

If South Africa wants to continue taking part in peace missions, it must at the very least ensure it does not send its troops off to die avoidable deaths. We may not be on the right side of history in this war, but that is too late for grieving families hoping for the return of their dead. What is required is an intensified diplomatic effort to ensure peace in the area. This means Sadc should have difficult discussions with DRC President Felix Tshisekedi about recognising the Banyamulenge.

Without this intervention, rebel groups such as M23 will continue to kill whoever is sent to support Tshisekedi’s troops.


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