Security issues dominate Congo's first visit after Tshisekedi election

Before his controversial election victory in December, DRC President Felix Tshisekedi promised troubled residents of troubled North Kivu province to crack down on rebel groups and militias terrorizing the region.

But three months after taking power in a vote mired by allegations of fraud, Tshisekedi struggled to take decisive action.

Wounded by a parliament and local officials under the influence of former President Joseph Kabila, Tshisekedi has largely failed in the exercise of his authority and in the fight against the huge problems of the vast country.

Last week, he issued a strong statement stating, "I have warned all actors who manipulate armed groups, the law will be fully applicable to them."

"All those who are arrested, whether they are national or provincial legislators, will be brought to justice and will be sentenced for complicity in murder."

But until now, these are mostly words and little action.

North Kivu, bordered by Lake Kivu and rich in minerals, is one of the regions most affected by violent groups competing for its resources.

"With peace everything will be fine, with peace there will be money, and with peace, there will be work," said Manbade Mutabesha, a demobilized soldier, while Tshisekedi had arrived in Goma. regional capital, last week, as part of his first tour of the country.

At a meeting of a security council composed of senior military and intelligence officials, the president was informed of a recent attack attack in Goma.

"Armed people enter Goma and kill peaceful citizens without being worried about the police or the army," Interim Minister of the Interior Basile Olongo told the meeting's minutes. .

Tshisekedi warned that "twisted politicians" linked to armed groups would not be tolerated, the minister said.

Need to "strengthen"

Replacing Kabila, who held power for 18 tumultuous years at the helm of the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa, was still going to be a daunting task.

The president of DR Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, met with Beni residents. By Luke Dennison (AFP / File)

Tshisekedi, sworn in on January 24, was confronted with many factors of complexity.

The coalition of Kabila's Common Front for the Congo (FCC) has comfortable majorities in both houses of parliament as well as in provincial bademblies.

Kabila's supporters recently swept the election as governor. Tshisekedi still has to form a government and works largely with former Kabila ministers or intermediaries.

Observers closely monitor attempts to form a coalition. Kabila will continue to control the country's politics.

Over the months, lack of certainty has not helped the volatile security situation in some parts of the country.

In the city of Beni, the epicenter of a nearly nine-month-old Ebola epidemic, and in North Kivu province, a notorious militia continues to operate.

The ADF, an Islamic-based shadow group that formed in western Uganda in 1995, is active in the border region alongside the United States. other armed militias.

He has been accused of recruiting and using child soldiers and killing hundreds of civilians since 2014, as well as 22 UN peacekeepers.

Along with officials and soldiers, President Felix Tshisekedi visited wounded soldiers at a military clinic in Beni General Hospital last week. By Luke Dennison (AFP / File)

The president must strengthen the supervision "of the army, police and national intelligence agencies," said a spokesman for the inhabitants of Beni, January Kasairyo.

Standing alongside officials and soldiers, Tshisekedi visited wounded soldiers at a military clinic in Beni General Hospital last week.

It was a show of support for the military and the medical staff, who themselves became targets.

Last week, a doctor from the World Health Organization was shot dead by local armed militiamen during an attack on a hospital in neighboring Butembo – the latest in a series of attacks. Assaults against hospital staff.

For Tshisekedi, it was a reminder of the immense security challenges he faced.

Last month, the UN asked him to act quickly.

"The expectations of the Congolese population are enormous and it is crucial not to let them wait too long, nor to be disappointed," said UN envoy to the UN, Leila Zerrougui, on the Council of Europe. security.