Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila.
Photo/PETER BUSOMOKE AFP
The government of the Democratic Republic of
Congo might be excited that it finally managed to rout the M23. That
the rebels laid down their arms according to one version, or were
expelled from their remaining two strongholds, is not the issue.
The main concern is that the war has ended without a ceasefire agreement and that some rebels have taken refuge in Rwanda.
Kinshasa
hesitated to sign the Kampala peace agreement probably because the
government thought the rebels had been weakened militarily.
The impasse was brought about by Congo’s refusal to integrate and give amnesty to the M23 political leadership.
It
would be best for the Congo government to be magnanimous in victory
because the factors that led the rebels to take up arms still exist, and
M23 is not the only militia group in eastern Congo.
While
M23 was a major threat to the territorial integrity of Congo, Kinshasa
could not have won the war without the support of the heavily-armed UN
peacekeepers.
The peace talks should not be cast aside as the two sides prepare for disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration.
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