Without a strong army, the Democratic Republic of Congo cannot exist as a state according to former warlord Antipas Mbusa Nyamwisi.
Nyamwisi made the remarks during an exclusive interview with a local journalist that traced him to his residence on the banks of the Congo River on Sunday March 12.
He remarked “that there is a problem which is general, we must strengthen the capacity of our army because ultimately the solution to our problems will not come from anyone other than ourselves.”
“You have to have an army, otherwise we will always be doing the diplomacy of tears,” he noted with concern.
He added that It is true there is a duty of solidarity between states but “we must have a capable army and we must organize it if we want to exist as a state. To do this, he says he is “happy” with the military programming law, President Tshisekedi’s initiative for a “strong” army.
He condemned the ADF terrorists affiliated to the Islamic State that have killed nearly 60 people in three days in a double attack in the villages of Mukondi and Kirindera, in the chiefdom of Bashu, in the territory of Beni.
“It is the continuation of a tragedy that began a long time ago with the ADF – a Ugandan rebellion – which finally became embedded in the region by committing the abuses”, he explains.
The intention of these terrorists according to Nyamwisi is to expand their control over the entire territory of Rutshuru and Masisi.
Nyamwisi also condemns the M23 movement and blames Rwanda for supporting the fighters without substantiating his claims.
“It is clear that the M23 would not have existed without Rwanda and even if there are some young Congolese among them but between us, it is the army of Rwanda”, persists Mbusa.
He recalls that President Félix Tshisekedi is “heir” of this situation and therefore “we should not ask him to work miracles. If there are miracles, it is the Congo that must do it, we must do it together”.
And in order to rout the M23, he recommends that the FARDC be provided with more necessary means of deterrence.
He argues, “if the army did not resist we would have already lost Goma or more than that”.
Mbusa Nyamwisi leads the Forces for Renewal political party and was Minister of Decentralization and Urban and Regional Planning until September 2011 when he resigned to run for president.
