Following the fall of Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province in eastern DR Congo, into the hands of the AFC/M23 rebel alliance, Corneille Nangaa, its political leader said the group is undeterred to march to Kinshasa, as they look to confront “poor governance and a failed state.” Nangaa, who sat down for an exclusive interview with The New Times reporters in Goma, on Thursday, January 30, maintained that normalcy is returning to the city which has recently seen tense fighting between the M23 rebels and the Congolese army (FARDC) coalition. Genocidal forces FDLR are integrated into the FARDC, coupled with a myriad of armed groups, forces from the Southern African regional bloc, SADC, Burundian government forces, and hundreds of European mercenaries. “We are in Goma,” Nangaa told The New Times, “Being here today is a result of a struggle and our struggle is indeed a result of people that are determined and engaged to move forward.” ALSO READ: M23 announces plans to march to Kinshasa While Goma city has witnessed a humanitarian crisis due to the fighting, with water, electricity and internet cut off by governement, the rebel leader maintained that their forces are “dealing with the emergency to stabilize the situation.” Goma, a city that is home to two million people and a hub for international military and humanitarian interventions, is also witnessing the return of its population after the majority had fled. “We are working to stabilize this situation. We see people here who lack access to clean water, electricity, and communication.” March to Kinshasa According to Nangaa, the AFC/M23 alliance is undeterred to march to Kinshasa. He paused to stress that “we have a vision for the people of DR Congo.” “We have to sort this security situation out. The first reason is the failure of the state, which has now entered a coalition with negative forces such as the FDLR, who are not just a threat to our population but also our neighbors in the region.” ALSO READ: Timeline of events before and after M23 entered Goma The FDLR, which harbors a long-term sinister plan to destabilize Rwanda, comprises remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. After the Genocide, they moved into the eastern part of DR Congo after killing more than one million lives. But also alarming, Nangaa reiterated, is tribalism, and discrimination of the Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese from their rights as Congolese citizens. “We are fighting for our country, for our people, we want Congolese refugees to come back to their home, we want Congolese to access the basic human needs such as food, education, improved health care, and so on.” ALSO READ: What does the capture of Goma mean for M23 rebels and their grievances? “We are fighting for a noble reason, and we have a reason to fight. The reason is that we don't have a country,” Nangaa expressly said. “Other countries have road infrastructure, but not here. But are we going to continue like this? So, this is what we are looking at. We want to create a state that improves the well-being of its citizens.” East to West Nangaa said that the AFC/M23 has planned to move forward from the country’s east to the west. “We are going to move forward from Goma, Bukavu, Kisangani, Bunia, Lumumbashi, Kananga, Mbujimayi, up to Kinshasa, and then we start the development.” “Our vision is to see a failed state to a modern-day state full of opportunities. To make DR Congo a business land.” A former head of the DR Congo Electoral Commission (CENI), Nangaa also reflected on the country’s 2018 presidential elections, and how he enabled Felix Tshisekedi to rise to power. “I feel like it was a mistake. It is like creating your own devil. And I know that I have to correct him,” Nangaa said. “When you look at the cities here in DR Congo, when you look at the people, there is no food, there is no education, there is no access to clean water, all this is being blamed on Rwanda.” Nangaa dismissed claims that M23 are supported by Rwanda, pointing out that the allegations have been used by the Kinshasa government to divert attention from its own failures. “How many countries are here in DR Congo? Uganda, Burundi, Malawi, Tanzania, South Africa, and European mercenaries. But they are calling us Rwandans because some of us speak the same language as Rwandans,” he said. “That is false because we are Congolese. And now the question is, what are those countries doing in DR Congo? The reason is because there is a failure of state. And as long as we accept this failure we are in danger, both the Congolese population and the region.” “We are indeed in danger. The Kinshasa regime is a real danger.” According to Nangaa, the AFC/M23 will move to create conditions under which Congolese refugees, who have spent nearly 30 years in camps, can safely return to their country. Noting that Rwanda is home to about 100,000 Congolese refugees, Nangaa said, “This should be something that we can easily sort out without any problem.” He also addressed the Genocide ideology in DR Congo, maintaining that his forces were ready to “deal with them.”
