Mission accomplished, working African solutions

The visiting African Union Commission boss Jean Ping, has lauded, the just concluded joint operation between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a home grown solution that the continental body has always advised. The AU chief who met with DRC President Joseph Kabila, earlier in the week and then met with President Paul Kagame yesterday, reaffirmed his support for operation ‘Umoja Wetu.’  Indeed the old adage ‘divided we fall, united we stand’, rings true as we count the benefits, of the united front exhibited by Rwanda and the DRC, who with determination overcame all obstacles. To deal once and for all with the 15 year obstacle to peace in the eastern DRC – the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). Ping’s tacit endorsement of operation ‘Umoja Wetu’ is important because for so long, we have suffered from the inadequacy of African mechanisms for conflict resolution.