In Ituri, in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo, five local armed groups operating in the province under siege signed this weekend in the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister of Defense, Jean-Pierre Bemba , a commitment marking the immediate cessation of hostilities.
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This agreement is a glimmer of hope, but what chance does it have of being respected? Response from Professor Agenonga Chober, researcher at the Violence pillarEbuteli, Congolese research institute on politics, governance and violence, and associated researcher at GRIP (Group for Research and Information on Peace). He is on the microphone of our correspondent in Kinshasa, Pascal Mulegwa.
“ It is hypothetical that this umpteenth agreement could bring peace to Ituri for at least three reasons: firstly, it is not the first time that Codeco, Fpic, Frpi and Mapi sign a peace agreement. To be convinced, in 2022, these movements were engaged in the ‘Nairobi process’.
Additionally, rebel leaders, who often signed these agreements, have limited control over the fighters.
What’s more, for more than two years, even three years, these movements have experienced fractures within themselves, which fractures have led to the emergence of parallel commands. For example, Codeco has experienced at least four dissident movements.
Finally, without the use of coercive means accompanied by a functioning disarmament mechanism, all the agreements signed turned out to be stillborn. »
At the beginning of the month, Dieudonné Lossa, head of civil society in Ituri, interviewed by RFIdenounced an “unbearable” situation in Ituri, due to abuses by armed groups. “ No one can imagine that people are dying day and night while we are under siege. “. A state of siege was declared in May 2021 in this province, but due to the lack of presence of the FARDC to secure the territory, this state of siege is inefficient and disputed. It is estimated that more than 1.5 million people have had to leave their homes in the face of the security crisis
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