‘We are waging an existential war’: M23’s Bertrand Bisimwa on DRC conflict

For 3 years, the eastbound Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been embroiled successful an equipped struggle betwixt the service and the M23 rebel radical that has killed hundreds of radical and displaced astir 2 million.

M23 was archetypal formed aft a mutiny wrong the Congolese nationalist service (FARDC) successful 2012. Though the archetypal rebellion was crushed, the radical took up arms against the service and allied “Wazalendo” equipped groups again successful 2022, and has since seized swaths of territory successful North Kivu province.

M23 says it is defending the interests of number Congolese Tutsi, galore of whom accidental they endure favoritism and exclusion successful DRC for their taste links to Rwanda’s Tutsi community.

Kinshasa sees M23 arsenic the top information menace it presently faces, with determination tensions escalating arsenic bodies including the United Nations impeach Rwanda of supporting M23 with troops and weapons, fuelling the rebellion – thing Rwanda denies.

Despite attempts astatine ceasefires and negotiations – including the 2022 Nairobi bid process and caller mediation efforts by Angola – warring has continued. In Lubero, M23 precocious respective twelve kilometres successful conscionable a fewer days successful December.

Bertrand Bisimwa, the caput of the governmental helping of M23, maintains that the radical is warring a “defensive” war. He spoke to Bojana Coulibaly, a researcher specialising successful bid and information successful Africa’s Great Lakes region, astir the warfare successful eastbound DRC and hopes that dialog volition prevail.

Bisimwa speaking to Bojana Coulibaly [Teddy Mazina/Al Jazeera]

Bojana Coulibaly: Can you archer america what M23’s demands are?

Bertrand Bisimwa: Our demands boil down to a conflict for survival. We are waging an existential warfare due to the fact that the Congolese authorities is subjecting portion of its colonisation to death. And this didn’t commencement today. It has been going connected for decades, wherever radical are forced to question refuge, fearing death, avoiding being killed. There is hatred code and determination is besides a benignant of radicalisation that is taking shape. A portion of the citizens, namely the Tutsi, service arsenic scapegoats for the Congolese authorities to distract the radical from its governance failures.

So, we told ourselves that we indispensable not beryllium idly by and ticker our citizens being killed successful this way. This is wherefore we are presently waging a antiaircraft warfare to support these citizens. So that they bash not proceed to beryllium enactment to death. They are not second-class citizens. The authorities indispensable instrumentality attraction of them and not see them arsenic stateless, oregon who are not Congolese. They are full-fledged Congolese citizens, similar each different Congolese.

Coulibaly: Recently, there’s been aggravated warring betwixt authorities forces and M23 successful Great North Kivu, successful the Lubero territory. Could you explicate what happened?

Bisimwa: In March, the mediator successful the situation betwixt Rwanda and the DRC, Angola’s President [Joao] Lourenco, had invited america to Luanda to convey the connection from the African Union which was to motion a ceasefire. We signed the ceasefire, but Kinshasa refused to motion it. Later, Kinshasa simply continued the warfare against us, and we started again – we continued to support ourselves.

On December 15, a gathering was scheduled betwixt the Congolese authorities and the Rwandan government, which besides had conscionable signed their ceasefire, though the Rwandan authorities oregon the Rwandan subject are not connected Congolese ungraded and are not fighting.

The Congolese authorities wanted to person a triumph connected the crushed earlier the 15th. They enactment unit connected us, with the purpose of obtaining a triumph that would enactment them successful a comfy presumption successful bid to enactment Rwanda successful beforehand of a fait accompli – that either they motion what Kinshasa wanted, oregon they would practically derail the Luanda meeting. That was the government’s objective.

This is however they enactment unit connected us: they gathered much than 22,000 men assembled astir 15 regiments, supported by the FDLR [Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, an equipped rebel group] – the erstwhile genocidaires of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi successful Rwanda – supported by the Wazalendo and they usage them against us. We understood the manoeuvres, truthful we prepared sufficiently to support ourselves.

This is what led to this escalation of violence, due to the fact that for us, it was indispensable to thwart this subject violative connected their part, and we succeeded successful doing so.

We learned that they proceed to hole to reignite the war, and if they bash reignite it, we volition proceed to support ourselves to forestall them from continuing down that path, due to the fact that we judge that for peace, it is indispensable to thwart the way of war.

An M23 worker connected patrol successful the Democratic Republic of the Congo [Teddy Mazina/Al Jazeera]

Coulibaly: The United Nations says M23’s beforehand towards the Great North Kivu arsenic good arsenic the summation successful power of areas are a tendency for enlargement and conquest of territory. How bash you respond? 

Bisimwa: Since we started our war, we are reacting to the violative from the authorities that attacks america each day. And each time, we accidental it: if they proceed to onslaught us, we volition soundlessness the weapons everyplace they sprout astatine us.

The logic of warfare dictates that erstwhile you person supremacy implicit the other, you instrumentality the abstraction from which they were shooting astatine you. And we combat for that. When we combat against the government, those who onslaught us, we are obliged to soundlessness the weapons from the abstraction wherever they shoot. And that is what allows america to halt the war. So, we cannot beryllium changeable astatine and conscionable support ourselves without taking the weapons from the opponent. That would beryllium illogical, it would mean continuing to taxable ourselves to decease and to taxable to decease the radical that are successful our area.

You volition spot that each clip we summation the precocious manus implicit the hostile and instrumentality the abstraction from which they were shooting astatine us, we halt there, and we wait. If they motorboat the aforesaid violative again, astatine that infinitesimal we advance. So, we cannot beryllium blamed for defending ourselves and for winning against the violative that is imposed connected us.

When determination is war, radical are acrophobic and tin flee, due to the fact that they indispensable question shelter. And this is simply a wholly mean attitude. So, we cannot spot this work connected conscionable 1 party. I deliberation determination is simply a benignant of refusal to look world astatine the level of the United Nations arsenic good due to the fact that we succeeded during our liberation enactment successful bringing backmost oregon emptying much than 9 camps of displaced persons that were acceptable up successful the country that we power today. OCHA precocious published a study wherever it stated that much than 480,000 families person returned to their homes, successful our area. And so, I deliberation that alternatively of starting to condemn, everyone needs to look astatine themselves, and we indispensable person the courageousness to accidental what is really happening connected the ground.

Coulibaly: After M23 was excluded from the bid process successful Nairobi successful April 2022, the Luanda process has been stumbling implicit the contented of dialog – due to the fact that Kinshasa considers you to beryllium conscionable a proxy of Rwanda. What is your presumption regarding this refusal of dialogue?

Bisimwa: The refusal of dialog by the Congolese authorities is simply a refusal of a civilised solution of conflicts. Because the civilised satellite contiguous nary longer fights; it resolves problems done dialog and moves on. But Kinshasa is successful the logic of war.

It is indispensable to archetypal recognize the model successful which we were successful Nairobi successful 2022. On April 10, the heads of authorities of the East African Community had gathered, astatine the petition of President [Felix] Tshisekedi, to inquire america to retreat to a definite distance, due to the fact that we had conscionable liberated locations. And the Congolese authorities wanted a dialog with us.

We recovered that civilised due to the fact that we told ourselves, aft all, we person the dialog we wanted successful bid to code the basal causes of the conflict. So, we recovered ourselves successful Nairobi connected April 20, 2022, and we thought we were coming to talk. But portion we were successful Nairobi, the equipped forces of the DRC began to reclaim the locations from which we had withdrawn, and it was moving towards our positions.

We alerted the facilitators that determination is simply a concern processing connected the crushed that needs to beryllium stopped rapidly due to the fact that it risks escalating. The facilitator discussed with the Congolese government, but thing was stopping connected the ground.

Unfortunately, we were not listened to and the warfare restarted. The adjacent day, FARDC soldiers woke up, they changeable astatine our soldiers; we defended ourselves and the warfare resumed. The Congolese authorities utilized that arsenic an excuse to accidental that it tin nary longer tolerate america successful the country and that we should leave.

That is erstwhile we understood that the Congolese authorities was not acceptable to beryllium successful dialog with us. And it is the aforesaid logic inactive successful spot today.

War cannot lick our problems. Dialogue unsocial tin let america to code the basal causes of the conflict. Because it has lasted a agelong time. The eastbound of the state is suffering due to the fact that of these conflicts that bash not end. And the eastbound of the state is our home. That is wherever our families live. Our families cannot proceed to beryllium enactment to decease each time simply due to the fact that the superior is located 2,000km from wherever we live. If Kinshasa cannot lick our problems, it should fto america lick them ourselves.

M23 soldiers successful the Democratic Republic of the Congo [Teddy Mazina/Al Jazeera]

Coulibaly: Congolese Minister of Foreign Affairs Therese Kayikwamba Wagner said connected France 24, that she would similar to invitation each equipped groups to a dialog oregon to resume the Nairobi process, but that Kinshasa categorically refuses immoderate dialog with M23. How bash you respond? 

Bisimwa: Everyone knows – the full satellite knows – that determination are nary much equipped groups successful Congo. All these equipped groups person been integrated into the FARDC arsenic reservists. There is simply a instrumentality that came out; each these Wazalendo, each those we telephone the VDP, are auxiliaries of the FARDC who person been officially integrated. The FDLR has been integrated officially into the FARDC. So, determination are nary much equipped groups.

We person nary occupation with these equipped groups. We person existential problems that volition not beryllium solved by equipped groups. It is not these equipped groups that negociate the country, it is the authorities that manages the country. It is to the authorities that we indispensable code and not the equipped groups.

The 2nd thing, and I would similar Minister Wagner to recognize this precise well: we are not warring for jobs wrong the government. We are not warring for ranks. Our officers, our soldiers person been successful the Congolese army. They had ranks there. There are immoderate among america who person been ministers successful Kinshasa, who person been successful the government. They near due to the fact that the occupation had not been resolved. This means that today, adjacent if we were offered these positions, it would not resoluteness our misery, our suffering.

We indispensable code the basal causes of the struggle to halt the unit successful the eastbound of the country. Each 1 of us, if the state becomes peaceful, tin unrecorded wherever they want, we person onshore that is fertile. We tin cultivate the land, we tin support our cows, we tin nutrient milk, we tin spell teach. Each of america tin person an accidental for our household and for our survival, alternatively than going into politics.

What we privation is to speech with them to resoluteness issues related to the governance of the country. A governance that kills us, a governance that sends america into exile, a governance that does not let america to supply for our children time and the time after. Our children indispensable beryllium capable to live. We indispensable make an situation that allows aboriginal generations not to inherit the problems that we person not managed to solve.

Coulibaly: The latest battles against the authorities conjugation took spot adjacent territories affected by the beingness of the ADF equipped group. Is determination a nexus betwixt your question and this radical that claims to beryllium from Islamic State (ISIL oregon ISIS)?

Bisimwa: We were the archetypal successful this state to denounce the ADF threat. And I judge that we person been talking astir it for much than 10 years. And the Congolese authorities has ever taken america for radical who are joking. They said the ADF does not exist. Today, this contented has go a world disposable to everyone, due to the fact that they person excelled successful massacres against the colonisation and to accidental that it is america who person links with them – that is besides immoral, to deliberation successful that way. We person ever fought for those radical to beryllium neutralised. And the sooner they are neutralised, the amended the state would beryllium today.

The FARDC oregon the Congolese authorities bash not mobilise arsenic galore forces against the ADF arsenic they mobilise against us. Against the ADF, they conscionable nonstop a fewer soldiers to travel the Ugandan service that does each the work; against us, they mobilise much than 15 regiments of 22,000 men. They mobilise awesome weapons, awesome state-of-the-art equipment. So, betwixt america and those who behave successful this way, who tin we accidental is person to the ADF?

Coulibaly: You are accused of exploiting the mines of Rubaya for the benefit of Rwanda. What bash you accidental to this?

Bisimwa: Regarding Rubaya, we did not privation it astatine the beginning, due to the fact that we ne'er had the volition of taking areas wherever determination are minerals. We person ever avoided this truthful that we would not confuse our existential origin with the exploitation of minerals.

But the world is – and we communicated it – that determination was a grooming centre successful Rubaya maintained by the Burundian service with the Imbonerakure militia, which trained young people, the Congolese, successful the handling of bladed weapons, with the volition of infiltrating them into our abstraction to sow decease and desolation. We communicated this to the satellite truthful that everyone would recognize that determination is simply a menace successful Rubaya that needs to beryllium addressed quickly. There was nary reaction, and everyone neglected this. This is however we made the determination to halt this happening due to the fact that it was going to make for america much problems than solutions.

When we entered this space, successful this country of Rubaya, determination was ne'er immoderate warring wrong Rubaya. The strategy we took was to evacuate from Rubaya each those who had weapons successful these mining sites. The 2nd radical of radical to evacuate from those sites were children who were utilized successful the mines, with each the imaginable for accidents. The 3rd radical of radical we extracted from Rubaya were large women who precise often were mistreated.

Today, Rubaya is doing well. We person kept successful Rubaya the aforesaid people, the aforesaid organisations that were exploiting the mines due to the fact that they are backstage entities that were exploiting the mines there. And we person forbidden our officials from being successful the mines of Rubaya. There is not a azygous subordinate of the M23 successful the mines of Rubaya. So we person near this exploitation to those who were doing it. And we are blessed with a tiny taxation to let that this constabulary mechanics that we person established astir Rubaya tin proceed to hold. This is what we person done.

An M23 worker connected patrol [Teddy Mazina/Al Jazeera]

Coulibaly: M23 presently controls the Virunga National Park, which is simply a satellite biodiversity reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site successful information since 1994. What is the existent presumption of Virunga Park since you arrived determination successful 2023?

Bisimwa: What we person ever done, in, astir oregon adjacent this park, whether astatine the level of our populations, oregon successful the actions we take, is to support this satellite biodiversity reserve. Before our arrival, we recovered that the parkland was overrun by the FDLR who were engaged successful woodcutting activities to marque charcoal. There is simply a United Nations study that was released and which stated that the FDLR profited from this charcoal trade. They were talking astir much than $100m a year.

The 2nd happening we noticed was the penetration of the parkland by equipped groups, including the FARDC. These FARDC who were not paid, they were sidesplitting the parkland animals to provender themselves. And we said no, now, determination is not a azygous histrion near successful the parks. So, we created a extortion unit for the parkland that works successful statement with the rangers to support the park.

The 3rd enactment we took was an acquisition enactment towards our population. To marque them recognize that they person nary involvement successful invading the park. Because we recovered that the boundaries of the parks were threatened. There are adjacent citizens who person taken plots of onshore successful the parkland concession, which was unacceptable. We started by educating our colonisation to marque them recognize that we tin payment from what comes from the parkland successful different way. That is to say, erstwhile tourists come, what they volition wage arsenic tourists volition let america to transportation retired improvement projects.

When we arrived astatine the park, determination was nary wildlife. But now, each the animals that had near the parkland are starting to instrumentality due to the fact that determination is security. We tin spot the hippos parading successful the swamps. We tin spot families of antelopes moving present and there. We tin spot the gorillas. And it’s beautiful. Everyone who passes by that roadworthy knows however to admit the quality of the quality that God has fixed us, and I judge that it’s a privilege that we have, which we indispensable preserve.

Note: This interrogation has been edited for magnitude and clarity.