EAFDLR1

Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) soldiers in eastern DR Congo.

Kigali says it is frustrated that the military operation against FDLR, which was launched in January 2015, has lost momentum and that the rebels are regrouping.
 Rwanda is threatening to go it alone and fight the Hutu rebels in eastern Congo, outside a United Nations-backed Great Lakes initiative.

Kigali says it is frustrated that the military operation against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which was launched in January 2015, has lost momentum and that the rebels are regrouping.

Ferdinand Safari, director of policy and planning at the Ministry of Defence, told The EastAfrican that the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) has held many meetings and crafted “good” programmes to eradicate FDLR but these remain on paper.

“The military operation in eastern Congo started very well and resulted in the eradication of M23. This was to be followed by the eradication of FDLR and ADF, but the momentum has been lost,” he said.

Mr Safari warned that if things don’t improve, Rwanda could opt for an operation similar to the 2009 “Umoja Wetu” joint operation with DRC that managed to incapacitate FDLR by 70 per cent within one month.

But meeting in Nairobi on Wednesday, ICGLR defence ministers resolved that more countries in the region should contribute more troops  to strengthen the slightly over 3,000 UN Force Intervention Brigade from Tanzania, South Africa and Malawi.

The FDLR, with 1,500 and 2,000 fighters based around Lake Kivu, has been accused of numerous atrocities including murder, rape, and recruitment of child soldiers.

The FDLR rebels did not meet the January 1, 2015 deadline set by nations of the regional Southern African bloc (SADC) and ICGLR to surrender. Only 300 surrendered.

However, Congo Deputy Minister of Defence Rene Sibu Matubuka, who is in charge of rehabilitation of former combatants, told The EastAfrican that FDLR has been significantly neutralised and is no longer a military threat to the region.

“The FDLR should no longer be referred to as a negative force because the armed ones have been arrested and jailed. It is now a law and order problem as it is engaged in banditry—kidnapping, raping and killing women and children,” said Mr Matubuka.

He also dismissed as “pure lies” widespread allegations that the DRC government is not keen on eradicating FDLR because they act as a buffer against a Rwandan incursion into Congo.