Former President of DRC Joseph Kabila has advised incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi to consider the much desired inclusive dialogue with all warring factions in order to come up with solutions to the country’s challenges.
“My advice is, talk to the Congolese People. They know best what it is that they are suffering from,” said former President Joseph Kabila while speaking in an exclusive Interview in Namibia.
The former Congolese leader added that the Congolese people, ” because they have already been there, they have climbed that mountain and gone down the valley. It is another mountain to climb.”
Joseph Kabila, 53, compared the current security and political situation in the country to his tenure.
“In 2001, we believed that all foreign troops had to leave the DRC in order for peace to be achieved,” Kabila noted.
The departure of all foreign troops from his country, Kabila recounts that was aimed at enabling Congolese to talk about peace in their own country without interference.
However, Kabila wondered under the current security challenges in DRC, “is it the same therapy or miracle that will work? It is important for a country to act within its sovereign spot and make sovereign decisions.”
“You cannot have seven foreign armies, mercenaries, hundreds of militia groups battling it out. When you have such a mixture, it is an undesirable situation,” says Kabila.
Under his rule, President Kabila in 2008 signed a comprehensive peace agreement with the rebels.
“I know the initiative is to bring mediators from West Africa and other African countries. But no mediator knows DRC better than the Congolese themselves,” advises Kabila.
In his detailed explanation on the process to discuss peace, former President Kabila highlighted the factor of good will, “How do you judge the good will, the intentions of actors and what are the guarantees that what you are doing will bring about the desired peace.”
The former president who has been non committal since leaving office revealed that his may have not left the political scene completely, “Only God knows. Our intentions are very much available to serve our country.”
