The M23, a rebel group fighting against the coalition led by the national army of the DR Congo this week announced that they would adhere to the ceasefire that was directed by regional leaders. They have also agreed to disengage and withdraw from the territories they recently acquired in an effort to give peace a chance through regional efforts like the Nairobi Process and the Luanda mini-summit. The group has also requested a meeting with the leadership of the East African Regional Force. The force, which has troops from different member states of the East African Community. They also want to meet the facilitator of the peace efforts among others to thrash out a plan that will guide the process. The regional troops are supposed to occupy the area to be vacated by the rebel group as a way to create a buffer between them and their protagonists. The group made this concession as a sign of goodwill, even after they were sidelined in all meetings aimed at restoring peace and security in eastern DR Congo. It however takes two to tangle. First of all, for this magnanimity by M23 to bear fruits, there has to be goodwill on the part of the other party, which is in this case the government of DR Congo. Despite being signatory to the communique made after the mini-summit in Luanda, the Congolese government has not given any signs of its willingness to engage with M23. Already, many of the commitments outlined in the Luanda communique have not been implemented long after the set deadlines elapsed, include the commitment to disarm and repatriate militiamen belong to FDLR, which was founded by perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Instead, the FDLR continue to fight alongside FARDC, the Congolese government forces in their offensive against the M23, well knowing that this an outfit that was internationally designated a terrorist group. Finally, the facilitators of the peace process, including the regional force, must ensure the FARDC and their acolytes do not take advantage of the withdrawal by M23 to occupy the vacated area because this will be in total violation of the Luanda spirit. Already, the rebel group on Tuesday reported attacks by FARDC on its controlled territory barely hours after the former announced that they would honour the ceasefire.
