Thobile Jiwulane

There is significant movement in the geopolitical landscape, and Africa is deeply involved in these international dynamics and conflicts.

The situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo exemplifies how external forces can pit one part of Africa against another. The diverse interests involved in the ongoing conflict in the DRC have created divisions within the continent. In fact, Africa has been drawn into this conflict, despite the reality that the dynamics in the Great Lakes region have taken a shape similar to the never-ending strife seen in the Israel-Arab conflict in the Middle East for decades, if not more when extending it deeper into history.

The primary players in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are the DRC government and the rebel group M23, which has a stronghold in the eastern part of the country. M23 aims to overthrow President Félix Tshisekedi’s government in DRC, which is affiliated to both the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and East Africa Community.  SADC supports the DRC government, with three member countries—South Africa, Tanzania, and Malawi—contributing troops to help maintain peace in the region alongside UN peace-keepers.  They are part of Southern African Development Community Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) and the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO).

However, their role as SADC peacekeepers is being questioned especially by Rwanda and by the opposition in South Africa, due to their direct involvement in the conflict against the M23 rebels.

South Africa suffered severely in a recent conflict in the DRC where 14 members of the South Africa Defence Force were killed in a battle in eastern DRC. It was first said that the soldiers were killed in a fight with the Rwandan Defence Force after a section of the SADC peacekeepers fired shots across the Rwandan border, prompting the RDF to retaliate. But Rwanda vehemently denied being responsible for the death of the 14 South Africans.

The death also followed soon after a public exchange of words between President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, about the role of each side in the conflict. Kagame accused South Africa of pretending to be peacekeepers in the war when, in fact, it actually took sides. At the same time, Ramaphosa accused the RDF of being a “militia”, which infuriated Kagame, who challenged South Africa to a war if they wanted to.

Rwanda was accused of attacking the peacekeepers. For some time, it was not clear whether it was the Rwandan Defence Force or the M23 who killed the 14 South African soldiers. There is still debate about this matter, although the last report said they died in a three-day battle with M23.

While some in South Africa wanted Ramaphosa to declare war against Rwanda, Pretoria refused to be drawn deeper into conflict outside its primary peacekeeping task. Like the rest of SADC and Africa generally, South Africa is suspicious of what Kagame is up to. His close proximity to the West, especially America, raises eyebrows. His boldness to want to fight appears to be propelled from outside, perhaps to push a particular agenda on behalf of the West. Analysts say the West wanted the conflict to continue and intensify to enable it to loot the DRC minerals while Africa was busy fighting among itself. The West allegedly identified Kagame as the best channel to do this because of his vested interest in protecting the interests of ethnic Tutsis in DRC and seeing a regime change in Kinshasa.

One of the theories was that Kagame wanted to pull South Africa into a fight while Kigali is hoping for military backing from the US and possibly from Israel, which might want revenge on South Africa for taking Tel Aviv to the International Court of Justice in The Hague over what Pretoria claims is genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. In SADC and elsewhere in Africa, Kagame is seen as a puppet of the West who is willing to do anything to please Washington, London, Berlin and Brussels.

Another theory was that Kagame wanted regime change in DRC and to install the M23, which would be friendly towards the West, whose real agenda is to have access to DRC mineral resources. An M23-led government in DRC would help Western companies access its minerals as payback for the West’s military support.

As seen in the Sahel region, the West uses rebels or jihadist terrorists to pursue regime change where it had lost influence. Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali are facing overnight terrorist activities after they expelled French and US armies from their countries and closed their military

bases. Some say the terrorist activities in the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado have to do with the Western vested interest in the newly found mineral resources in the region because political instability creates a conducive environment for looting.

They cited America’s sponsorship of the construction of the Lobito rail corridor between DRC and Angola as not innocent but part of a plan to use the rail route as a conduit to ferry DRC minerals via the Angolan port and the sea to the US and Europe. On the eve of his departure from the White House, former US President Joe Biden made an unprecedented last-minute visit to Angola to bless the project.

In addition to SADC members, Uganda and Burundi, both members of the East African Community (EAC) but acting individually in the conflict, support the Tshisekedi regime. These countries became involved in the conflict to safeguard their borders from potential incursions by M23. Both Uganda and Burundi are experiencing tensions with Rwanda due to Rwanda’s backing of M23.

Kagame supports the rebels by claiming that Tshisekedi’s government was discriminating against the Tutsi ethnic group, which the M23 is primarily composed of. The rebel group has seized control of the predominantly Tutsi-speaking city of Goma and has made incursions into South Kivu province, where most clashes with peacekeepers have occurred. The M23’s ultimate objective is to advance to the capital, Kinshasa, and take over the entire government of DRC, although this is unlikely to happen anytime soon, if at all.

But one thing is for sure: not only the West but Africa has its eyes on the DRC riches. It is said that each of the countries participating in the conflict, whether it’s the West, SADC, or EAC member, peacemaker or fighter, is looking beyond peace-keeping in the beleaguered country. Reports abound that politicians and business people alike from various countries want a share of the DRC minerals, by hook or crook.

The involvement of numerous players in the conflict complicates the situation and makes achieving peace in the Great Lakes region very challenging. Instead of decreasing, the conflict is escalating as African nations engage in battles on DRC soil. The aspiration of “silencing the guns” in Africa, as envisioned by the continent, has become a distant dream, as it seems that no one is willing to stop until they have secured enough of the country’s mineral wealth.