Doha Negotiations: Congolese Must Say NO to Disguised Balkanisation

 A Peace that is a Trap

The ongoing Doha negotiations between the Congolese government and the M23 rebel movement are being sold as a path to peace. In reality, they conceal a dangerous threat: the disguised balkanisation of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Behind polished words such as “co-management” or “joint administration” lies a clear project — to legitimise a rebellion engineered by Rwanda, grant it official authority, and thereby entrench the occupation of eastern Congo.

Twenty-Five Years of War and Manipulation

Since 1996, our country has been the victim of repeated aggression from its neighbours. Yesterday it was the RCD, then the CNDP, and today the M23. The faces change, but the hand pulling the strings remains the same.

UN reports from 2012, 2022, and 2023 are explicit: Rwanda arms, trains, and commands the M23, while systematically plundering our natural resources.

In 2012, the M23 humiliated Congo by seizing Goma. From 2021 onwards, it resurged and captured Rutshuru, Bunagana, and Masisi. Everywhere it goes, atrocities follow — massacres in Kishishe, Kiwanja, and elsewhere prove that this group is not a political actor but a criminal machine.

The Washington Agreement: A Strategic Error

In 2023, under U.S. pressure, Kinshasa signed the Washington Agreement with Kigali. Far from being progress, it was in fact a trap.

• A false narrative: Rwanda managed to impose the idea that the FDLR is the “root cause” of insecurity in eastern Congo. In reality, this group, now reduced to a few hundred ageing fighters, poses no strategic threat.
• Deafening silence: the documented presence of Rwandan troops inside Congo was ignored.
• Groundwork laid: by insisting on dialogue with the M23, the agreement prepared the way for political normalisation of this criminal movement.

In short, Washington handed Kigali a diplomatic victory, while Congo was left weakened.

Doha: The Ultimate Betrayal?

Today in Doha, the danger is even clearer. The M23 is demanding co-management of the areas it occupies. Instead of condemning this blatant occupation, some Western mediators are promoting the idea as a “peace compromise.”But let us be clear: co-management equals balkanisation. It means giving Rwanda official control over part of Congolese territory. It means legalising the looting of our minerals. It means step by step carving Congo into pieces.

Congo’s Weaknesses Laid Bare

We must admit painful truths:

• The FARDC, our national army, is poorly equipped, plagued by corruption, and lacks unity of command.
• Congo remains overly dependent on foreign forces: MONUSCO, the East African Community (EAC) force, and now the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
• Diplomatically, Kinshasa too often hesitates when firmness is needed.

Kigali knows these weaknesses and exploits them. As Great Lakes scholar Filip Reyntjens notes, “Rwanda acts with complete assurance, knowing the DRC lacks the military and diplomatic capacity to effectively oppose its agenda.”

The Congolese People Must Refuse

Accepting co-management would be a historic betrayal. It would legitimise war criminals responsible for massacres. It would pave the way for the partition of the country. It would repeat the mistakes of the past — like the 2009 Agreement that integrated CNDP rebels into the army, only to produce the M23 years later.

Congolese people must say NO. NO to balkanisation. NO to co-management. NO to externally imposed compromises.

What Are the Alternatives?

1. Internal Reform
• Modernise and professionalise the FARDC.
• Fight corruption.
• Rebuild state authority in the east.
2. Firm Diplomacy
• Demand international sanctions against Rwanda for aggression, as recommended by the UN Group of Experts (2022).
• Strengthen alliances with Angola, Tanzania, South Africa, and others who defend sovereignty in Africa.
3. National Unity
• Move beyond political divisions to defend the territorial integrity of Congo.
4. Citizen and Diaspora Mobilisation
• Civil society must organise protests and campaigns to reject co-management.
• The Congolese diaspora must raise its voice in Europe and North America to pressure international institutions.

Conclusion: Congo Is Not for Sale

The Doha negotiations are a test of our national will. To accept co-management is to accept surrender. To refuse it is to affirm our dignity, our sovereignty, and our unity.

Congo is not for sharing. Congo is not for sale. Congo must remain one and indivisible.

True peace will never come from imposed compromises. It will come from justice, truth, and national resistance.

Prepared par :

Sam Nkumi &  Gilberte  Bienvenue

African  Rights Alliance