By RFPosted on 20-10-2019Modified on 20-10-2019 at 20:12

Initiatives are increasing to stop armed clashes in South Kivu, particularly in the highlands, in the plain of Ruzizi or Fizi. There, the activism of Congolese and foreign armed groups fuels tensions between communities. A dialogue is being prepared.

On Saturday, the deputy Norbert Basengizi Katintima, who played the moderating role in recent weeks, gave the prime minister his report, a four-page analysis in which he made several recommendations to the government. The former vice-president of the Electoral Commission is said to mouth of thirteen communities in South Kivu where he comes from.

Its proposals aim to put an end to violence between six of these communities, including Banyamulenge, Bafuliru, Banyindu, Bavira and Barundi. Each of them now has her armed group or groups. We must convince them to lay down their arms, and that means setting up a monitoring committee for disarmament and reintegration operations. And if these groups agree, Norbert Basengizi Katintima suggests bringing them back to the table for a new dialogue that would not be between communities, but under the aegis of the government.

Initiate diplomatic contacts with neighboring countries

Another suggestion is the return of the displaced, their care and commitment to certain development projects identified by the communities. Diplomatic contacts should also begin with neighboring countries, including Rwanda and Burundi, accused of waging war in this part of the DRC by exploiting Congolese and foreign armed groups. There is also the question of the establishment of rural communes by the state, like that of Minembwe, whose creation has created tensions between communities.

It should be noted that several civil society actors in South Kivu protested against Norbert Basengizi Katintima's choice as a moderator of a dialogue between communities, recalling his role in the rebellion of the RCD accused of committing massacres in that province. .

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