IN a joint news conference with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Kinshasa Thursday, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), President Felix Tshisekedi revealed plans to sign a security agreement with South Africa, as armed militias continue to oc
cupy turbulent areas in the eastern part of the country. Tshisekedi indicated that the accord could potentially take the form of a mutual-defence pact, citing the mutual defence pact of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) as a potential model.
‘We’ll know more in the days or weeks to come,’ President Tshisekedi stated, implying that further details about t
he agreement would be disclosed in due course. Both the DRC and South Africa are members of the 16-nation SADC, and Tshisekedi sees the SADC’s mutual defence pact as a potential framework for the security agreement between the two countries.
President Ramaphosa expressed his commitment to continue assisting the DRC in combating insecurity and poverty. ‘We are willing, prepared, and always ready to support the DRC as we have done in the past, and we will continue to do so,’ Ramaphosa affirmed. He also highlighted the intention to strengthen the bilateral relationship by establishing a specific security and defence agreement.
The eastern region of the DRC has been plagued by armed groups for several decades, stemming from conflicts that emerged in the 1990s and early 2000s. Among these groups, the M23 rebel group has caused significant turmoil, seizing territories and displacing nearly one million people since re-emerging in late 2021. The DRC has repeatedly accused neighbouring Rwanda of supporting the Tutsi-led M23, a claim denied by Kigali. However, the United States, several Western countries, and independent UN experts align with the DRC’s assessment.
Regarding the conflict, President Tshisekedi expressed a willingness to engage in dialogue to resolve the situation but emphasised his refusal to negotiate with what he referred to as ‘puppets’ within the M23 armed group. The focus remains on finding a sustainable resolution to the conflict and restoring stability to the troubled eastern region of the DRC.
