February 22 (Reuters) – Crowds of Congolese police officers who joined the M23 rebel group cheered and clapped in captured Bukavu on Saturday, prepared for retraining under the authority of the Rwandan-backed rebels, who want to prove they want to stay and govern.
The M23 rebels moved a week ago into eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s second-largest city, which was shaken by theft and riots after Congolese forces retreated without fighting.
The M23’s takeover of parts of eastern Congo and lucrative mineral deposits has fueled worries of a larger war, prompting the United Nations Security Council to demand unanimously on Friday that it cease hostilities and retreat.
In Bukavu, there was no hint that this call would be answered. The gathering police, wearing fresh new uniforms and black berets, were told they would leave for a few days of training before returning to help the M23.
“May you return to us in good health so that together we can continue to liberate our country,” urged police commander Jackson Kamba.
According to Lawrence Kanyuka, a spokesperson for the AFC rebel group that includes the M23, over 1,800 police officers have surrendered and are undergoing retraining, with another 500 more expected to do so.
The Congolese government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Several locals have expressed doubts about the idea. The arrival of the M23 in Bukavu has “paralyzed the entire life of the whole area, even if some activities are resuming in different ways,” according to local Josue Kayeye. “We cannot applaud anything done by force.”
FIGHTING ON MULTIPLE FRONTS
Congolese troops are under attack on several fronts. Minembwe, a village in the South Kivu mountains, and its airstrip were overrun on Friday by a Tutsi militia purportedly linked to the M23, according to a local official, a military source, and a United Nations source. A Congolese military drone had murdered its leader, Colonel Makanika, just a few days before.
East African defence leaders convened in Nairobi on Friday to examine the problem. According to an internal meeting report obtained by Reuters, the group highlighted that there was “no clear picture of the situation on the ground” despite the escalation and M23’s possession of major towns and airports.
According to the study, the group emphasized the importance of direct interaction among all parties involved in the conflict.
Congo has frequently declined to negotiate with the M23.
The M23, commanded by ethnic Tutsis, is the latest in a line of Rwandan-backed factions to take up arms in Congo on behalf of Tutsis. The M23 and neighboring Rwanda deny Congo’s assertions that they are a Rwandan proxy intent on robbing the east’s gold and coltan treasures.
