BUKAVU, DRC – Zimbabwean political analyst Rutendo Matinyarare sat down with M23 Chairman Bertrand Bisimwa in Bukavu as part of a documentary on the Great Lakes region.
The interview, following a prior meeting in Addis Ababa, explored the group’s stance on the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Bisimwa insisted that M23 does not seek war but rather peace and unity. “We are not fighting because we want to, but because we are defending ourselves from persecution,” he said. “Our people have been displaced, and we want Kinshasa to honour the agreements made in 2012 so that we can reintegrate into the national army and contribute to securing our country.”
He further called for free and fair elections, stressing that “all political parties should have the right to participate without restrictions.” The M23 leader also highlighted the plight of displaced families, saying, “Thousands of our people have lived in refugee camps in Uganda and Rwanda for decades. They deserve to return to their ancestral lands and live in peace in a functional country.”
On the question of negotiations, Bisimwa stated that M23 remains open to dialogue. “We are ready and have always been ready to sit down with the Congolese government and its partners to find a peaceful solution to the crisis in eastern DRC,” he said. He also dismissed allegations that the group seeks to break away from the DRC. “We are Congolese people. We have no interest in secession,” he emphasized.
When asked why M23 continues to fight, Bisimwa claimed that the group was defending its community from ethnic persecution. “Our government has failed to deliver services to its people, and instead, it resorts to scapegoating. The Kinyarwanda-speaking population is constantly labelled as foreigners, despite the fact that we have lived in Congo long before colonial borders were drawn,” he said.
He also condemned the decision by the United States to place M23 on its terrorist list. “How can we be called terrorists when we are defending ourselves from groups like the FDLR, Wazalendo, and Mai-Mai, who have killed and displaced our people?” he questioned.
“The West claims to support human rights, but they turn a blind eye when the UN sides with groups responsible for past genocides.”
In a message to the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Bisimwa urged the regional bloc to take an impartial approach. “We are not at war with our Southern African brothers. We ask them to truly understand the crisis in the DRC before taking sides. This is a colonial problem that continues to divide Africa,” he said.
Dismissing accusations that M23 has committed genocide, Bisimwa insisted that his group upholds human rights. “Goma and Bukavu are peaceful under our control. We are fighting to end tribal segregation based on physical and facial features,” he said.
He also refuted claims that M23 fighters are Rwandans masquerading as Congolese. “Many of us are former Congolese army officers. Some of us, like myself, do not even speak Kinyarwanda. We are Congolese citizens fighting for our civil, social, political, and economic rights in our own country,” he declared.
Matinyarare’s interview offers a rare glimpse into M23’s perspective, shedding light on the group’s motivations and its view of the ongoing conflict in the Great Lakes region.
