Authors of “balkanization project” could as a well author “Satan’s return to Heaven project”

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By George Kalisa

The “balkanization project” which allegedly involves neighbouring countries particularly Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda in a non-existent scheme reportedly aiming at either dividing the Eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) or annexing it has been awash the media recently. Could this be defense mechanism, illusion or a lapse in logic and reason on the part of the authors?

On January19 Congolese President Félix Tshisekendi finally commented on the said project.

The alleged project that has been in the limelight close to one month was authored and is being propagated by seemingly disgruntled Congolese opposition politicians, and a man in the cassock and leader of the Catholic Church in DRC, the Archbishop of Kinshasa, His Eminence Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo. 

Cardinal Ambongo was quoted by media late last year as saying that Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda have a clandestine motive in sustaining the insecurity in this region which has lingered on for over two decades despite the omnipresence of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) and the Unitefd Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) under control of President Joseph Kabila.

This area has been host to Rebel groups and refugees basically originating from Rwanda and Uganda. The al Qaeda-linked Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) with roots in Uganda and The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) – the remnants of the genocide Rwandan army of Ex-President Juvénal Habyarimana.

Others armed rebel groups that joined FDLR mission of overthrowing the Kigali administration include National Liberation Front (FLN) and Rwanda National Congress (RNC) led by self-exiled, disgruntled Rwandan dissidents – Lt. Gen. Kayumba Nyamwasa, and Faustin Twagiramungu and Paul Rusesabagina.

The Kigali administration declared FDLR and RNC terrorist groups and the gross human rights violation committed by these marauding militias including murder and rape of innocent people there only confirm Rwanda’s and Uganda’s fears and profound observation that they’re terrorist groups in the region.    

Neighbours’ clandestine motive     

The motive according to the man of God is annexing or balkanizing DRC’s insecurity ravaged Eastern region.

The man of God added his voice to a cohort of greedy war mongers like the former Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Coordinator of the opposition coalition dubbed Lamuka Adolphe Muzito Fumutshi that recently alleged that his country should consider the possibility of threatening and annexing Rwanda accusing it of peddling into his country’s politics.

Muzito said that the mineral rich African nation needs to wage a war on Rwanda in a bid to find a lasting solution to insurgency in the Eastern part of the country.

 “We have to wage war on Rwanda to restore peace in our country. Rwanda influences our politics. So does Uganda,” said Muzito at a presser on December23, 2019 in the capital Kinshasa.   

“We can only make peace by threatening Rwanda, by occupying its territory if possible by annexing it,” added Muzito.

The laughable joke of the Congolese leaders has reminded me of a myth I learned from my Sunday school teacher which maintains that Cain [Abel’s brother] took refuge in the jungles of DRC. Abel was an enterprising herdsman who gave God a sacrifice of the firstborn of his flock and God appreciated while he never appreciated Cain’s (his elder brother) who was a cultivator.

Cain’s heart was filled with jealous, rage and venom and finally murdered Abel – an injustice that led to his expulsion from the Garden of Eden and according to the myth he ran into the jungles of DRC. My Congolese brothers and sisters this is a mere myth.     

Now, the selfish and blanket utterances of Muzito and the man of God have left me wondering if Cain produced any children and if he did, Muzito and the clique could then be Cain’s “descendants” going by the uncontrolled and explosive deep-seated jealous they’re unleashing at the time when President Tshisekendi, only one year in office, is steadily and successfully implementing the African Union’s dream of realizing a conflict-free Africa through addressing the root causes of conflict, silencing the gun by 2020 included.

Rating President Tshisekendi’s leadership in the last one year, the adjective “excellent” would be the most suitable.

Only a year into his first term, Tshisekendi and FARDC have combed the jungles in this conflict infected region, killing rebel leaders and repatriating hundreds of former rebel fighters, especially those belonging to FDLR to Rwanda.

And, why involve Rwanda? Rwanda is the only Sub-Saharan Africa economy which the World Bank Group predicted to grow above eight per cent in 2020 while the rest, DRC included will grow by 2.9 per cent up from 2.4 per cent growth registered in 2019. The East African nation under the leadership of President Paul Kagame recorded double-digit growth of 12 per cent according the latest measure.

Besides, it’s during this time that relations between DRC and Rwanda have improved to excellent levels. Needless to mention, the current honeymoon between President Tshisekendi could be a cause of the madness of a few Congolese opposition politicians and the whole thing appears like the last kicks of a dying horse.

Now, Cain’s “descendants” on seeing this impressive economic progress whose bedrock is security, stability and good leadership by the Kigali administration are left with no option other than crafting projects that say a lot about their jealous.   

They want to drag the Congolese people into an empty, self-defeating and distractive political debate in to largely undermine President Tshisekendi’s competent leadership and excellent foreign policy.  

In my view, Tshisekendi’s quantum leaps recorded in just one year have overshadowed the LAMUKA’s highly ego-centric and divisive political activities and made the opposition leaders quite invisible and relevant on the DRC’s political arena.

Now, in efforts to make themselves relevant they invent unfounded and sick projects like “Balkanisation Project” with intent to distract particularly the Congolese people, President Tshisekendi told the Congolese Diaspora in London January19 where he had gone to attend the UK-Africa Investment Summit that started January20.

 “I would like to start with a topic that is getting a lot of attention these days and I solemnly swear that, as long as I am the President of the Republic, no single square centimetre of this country will be yielded to anyone whatsoever,” observed Tshisekendi’

He added: “So this subject of balkanisation is a distraction. We fought in the opposition to establish democracy and to ensure that the Congolese regain their rights, No, no and no; this Congo that I lead will never be balkanised.”

Sooner or later the Congolese leaders behind the “balkanization project” will author “Satan’s return project” to Heaven if they continue with their mission to falsify the geopolitics in the Great Lakes region.