Facing the media in Goma on Uganda’s support to M23 terrorist group in North Kivu DRCongo
Interactions with the media in Goma, North Kivu about the United Nations Group of Experts Report which recognized the Uganda support to M23 Rebel group in Eastern DRCongo
During an event with the victims of the current war in North Kivu
On Thursday and Friday June 2024, the Coordinator of COJESKI North Kivu, Mr Kulihoshi Musikami Pecos was involved in various interviews with local media in Goma on various topics mainly how a refugee resettled to Canada was appointed to be coordinator of the diaspora by M23 rebel group and the United Nations Group of Expert Report which finally after five years recognized the support of Uganda to M23 terrorist group in North Kivu, the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Questions were around the following:
Will this report affect the current military operations between DRC and Uganda? We think, no, because DRC had information about Uganda support to M23 but the country decided to make these deals with Uganda. Congolese Human Rights Defenders based in Uganda started denouncing the recruitment of Congolese refugees in various camps, and in July 2020 DRC deployed military officers to collect information, Congolese in Uganda who managed to meet the delegation presented the necessary information which we do not know how it was treated,
What the direct consequences of this report? We are not yet sure but we think that DRC is likely to revise its relationship with Uganda, and these can only be reduced but not put on hold completely, because even with Rwanda, we have seen that DRC has failed to take a radical position to end all relations and close borders. You need to understand that currently DRC has a very ambiguous approach towards the current war, the government is not clear about the approach.
What should be done now as we know that Uganda is also involved?
We knew this since 2019 as I have said it, only that we decided to do nothing, however so many things can be done: DRC should call for sanctions against Uganda, engage the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to withdraw the refugee status to all those involved in the war and call upon the cut of relief aid to refugees in Uganda, DRC should end military collaboration with Uganda and at the same time should withdraw from the Eastern Africa Community, among other things.
I think more work in terms of accountability should be done internally in order to understand better how DRC failed to collect the necessary information and take actions as earlier as possible rather than waiting for the United Nations Report.
