Statement on the failure of DRC Government to ensure the protection of people in the name of diplomacy

Christmas message on the situation of war in the Democratic Republic of Congo: We strongly object the DRC’s Army Strategy of strategic withdraw and leaving people into the hands on the rebels.  

On this December 2025, many among us in the world are going to celebrate Christmas in their families and in other better way. However in the Democratic Republic of Congo thousands of people have never celebrated Christmas since 2021 up to now when the war of AFC-M23 backed by Rwanda started in Eastern DRC. While many people were brutally massacred by the rebels, many others have also been on the run, thousands of war victims have moved from Rutshuru in North Kivu Province up to Kalemie City in the Tanganyika Province hoping to settle and live in peace, yet as we make this statement they are preparing themselves to leave because the rebels are advancing towards Kalemie and the Army is withdrawing.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Army which is mandated to protect people and their property has put in place a strategy to withdraw the Army on the pretext of saving the lives of people who are targeted by the bombs of the rebels. Not only the government has failed to protect the people but also the DRC government has demonstrated the lack of political will to ensure the protection of the citizens.

The recent capture of Uvira city in South Kivu Province by the rebels sent more than 500,000 people on the road looking for safety and as per now there is no guarantee that they will not run away again where they are hiding in the forests. With the lack of humanitarian relief aid, the DRC Government has also not capable to provide urgent relief support to all those who are on the run, as if the government is punishing them for running from the rebels.  

The DRC government has proposed a diplomatic approach through peace deal between DRC and Rwanda and between DRC and the rebels which approach seems to have also failed because the rebels have continued with war and Rwanda has clearly demonstrated the intention to continue fighting inside DRC.

This diplomatic approach has neither contributed towards the protection of people nor stopped the war, nor stopped the progress of the rebels towards new entities. This approach has also witnessed thousands of people being massacred by the rebels in various places and the DRC government has remained indifferent. The international community mainly the United Nations and the European Union which believe in this diplomatic approach have been incapable to ask Rwanda and the rebels to protect people and to save lives despite condemnations and great speeches which have no effect on the ground.

Basing on this horrible failure of the diplomatic approach, we call upon the Democratic Republic of Congo to prioritize the Military option in order to ensure the security of its citizens as indicated in the United Nations Security Council 2808 which states “recalling that the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo bears the primary responsibility to protect civilians within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction, including from international crimes”

 We therefore take this opportunity to distance ourselves from the current DRC Government position towards the war in Eastern and strongly reject the current narrative and only diplomatic approach which are not effective. The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Army should do all all that it takes in order to protect people, and if the Army is not able to do that, then it should seriously evaluate the capacity to fight and if conclusions reveal that the Army is not capable to stop the rebels then it may be ideal to acknowledge defeat rather than running away from the frontline and leaving people in the hands of the rebels.

Serious questions are now being asked and answers should be provided, the DRC Army will run away until where? Until when? And what will be the end of this? And why should this strategy be necessary, and to which extend does it help people.

Four years now, we do not see the advantage of this Army’s strategy, as we believe that our security should not be a gift from Rwanda out of good will but on the capacity of the Congolese Army to defend the territory and the people. Our security should not be a sharing of our natural resources with Rwanda out of fear but on the capacity of our security services to impose Rwanda to respect DRC.

On the issue of the National Dialogue, we would like to remind all actors that the most important issue to focus on is the defense of the country through a strong Army and this is more an issue of governance and priority of the country which cannot be solved by the proposed National Dialogue. We do not agree that a group of people should take guns against their own country in order to sit at the table and discuss about power sharing, we do not agree that violence is the best way to express one ‘self after killing thousands of people and after pushing thousands of people into Internally Displaced Camps, we dot agree that at this moment it may ideal to sit on table and discuss when people are still holding guns and threatening to resume war if their demands are not accommodated and fulfilled.      

Done this December 24th, 2025.