An East African force set up to thwart insurgents in Democratic Republic of Congo has for months been proclaiming progress, saying the rebels have quit key strongholds and been replaced by its troops.
But these upbeat announcements contrast with what’s happening on the ground, where the rebels remain at large and more than a million people displaced by their advance are still in limbo.
Created last year to stop M23 rebels who seized swathes of territory in the eastern DRC, the East African Community (EAC) force draws on troops from Burundi, Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan.
The Tutsi-led M23 has won a string of victories against the army and rival militias since emerging from dormancy in late 2021, advancing deep into North Kivu province.
MORE FROM AFRIUPDATE
The DRC has repeatedly accused its neighbour Rwanda, an EAC member, of backing the rebels, a charge Kigali denies.
The United States and several other Western countries, as well as independent UN experts, have also concluded that Rwanda is backing the rebels.
– ‘M23 still there’ –
Last week the EAC force organised a press trip to areas that have been declared liberated. An AFP journalist was able to visit and interview residents, despite restrictions.
“If they (the rebels) hear what I have to say to you, they will kill me,” said a worried shopkeeper in Bunagana — a border town that, officially, the Ugandan army took back from the M23 on March 31.
“The M23 are still there. The arrival of the EAC soldiers has changed nothing, I am still paying taxes to the M23,” he said, adding that on the Congolese side, the border is still under rebel control.
A little further on, residents pointed to the top of a hill near the town, describing it as an “M23 position”.
Despite the EAC force’s promises, traffic on the road to the key city of Goma has still not resumed.
Only a handful of drivers and a few motorbike riders brave the 100-kilometre (60-mile) stretch of deserted road.
“The M23 still patrols this road every day,” said a shopkeeper beside the N2 highway about 20 km west of Bunagana, an area where Ugandan troops are supposed to operate.
Follow our socials Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Google News.
