At the call of various citizen movements, several dozen people protested this Wednesday against the presence of the East African force deployed since November in the region to fight against armed movements. But the police chose to suppress the march.
It was the first demonstration since the beginning of the deployment of the regional force of the EAC. Two processions led by civil society organizations such as Filimbi and Lucha marched in Goma, the big city of North Kivu. Objective: to denounce the “inefficiency”, “inaction” of the East African contingents, even the “lies” which surround the presence of these soldiers.
Several thousand Kenyan and Burundian soldiers have already arrived to reinforce the Congolese army. Since the beginning of the month, some have started to join the Rumangabo military base. Seven hundred and fifty South Sudanese are also expected.
But the police dispersed the demonstrators by throwing tear gas canisters. The security forces ruled that the march was prohibited. Journalists were threatened, some even injured and others arrested along with protesters, before being released after a few hours in police custody.
At the same time, the Congolese Ministry of Foreign Affairs hit the table against the M23, the main group struggling with the army. Kinshasa accuses the rebel movement, and Rwanda, accused of supporting it, of having violated the signed agreements. According to the authorities, M23 and Kigali have “ sabotaged the resolutions », « carried out delaying maneuvers “, of the ” mock withdrawals from several localities.
The DRC therefore asks the UN, the African Union, the East African Community and all partners to sanction the Rwandans and the leaders of the M23.