Africa Monitor Intelligence

DR Congo: USA and South Africa Diverge

The role of the United Nations mission in DR Congo´s offensive - Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) - used in attacks against the armed militias active in the country is central to a divergence between the USA and South Africa, regarding the approach of the international community to the conflict. While the USA expresses in the most recent partner meetings, namely at the UN, strong criticism of FIB's actions, demanding changes in its mode of operation, South Africa, the main country contributing troops to the force, rejects changes to the current mandate, according to diplomatic sources.

The security situation remains uncontrolled, particularly in the east of the country. After the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) launched an offensive against the Allied Democratic Forces (FDA) in late 2019, this militia, originally from Uganda, intensified reprisal attacks, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of civilians. On 08.SEP and 10.SEP, two attacks attributed to the FDA caused 58 fatalities in the province of Ituri.

The progress made in the last regional business rounds, under Angolan mediation, is considered to be limited. The signing of the Luanda memorandum of understanding, between Rwanda and Uganda, at a Quadripartite Summit with the PRs of Angola and Rep. Congo in AUG.2019, resulted in an impasse in subsequent bilateral negotiating rounds (AM 1237). READ MORE