Congo replaces top military chief and other senior officers as fighting in the east rages on
GOMA, Congo (AP) — Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi has replaced the armed forces chief and several other top officers in a major reshuffle while the military battles rebels in the country’s eastern region, state media announced late Thursday.
The Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, Gen. Christian Tshiwewe, who has been in office since October 2022 during the last major shake-up, was replaced by Lt. Gen. Jules Banza Mwilambwe.
Congo’s military has been fighting more than 100 armed groups for years in the mineral-rich eastern region where the rebels are vying for a foothold in a conflict that has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. More than 7 million people have been displaced so far and hundreds were killed in the last year. Among the key actors is the M-23 rebel group, which Congo and United Nations peacekeepers have said is supported by neighboring Rwanda.
Congo’s government has requested a more flexible and gradual withdrawal of the peacekeeping force in eastern Congo known as MONUSCO, and the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Friday to extend its mandate until Dec. 20, 2025.
The council authorized a troop ceiling of 11,500 military personnel, 600 military observers and staff officers, and 1,722 international police and said MONUSCO’s top priorities must be the protection of civilians under threat of violence, and disarming and demobilizing armed groups.
The resolution adopted by the 15-member council strongly condemns all armed groups operating in Congo and demands that they immediately halt all violence. It singled out the M23’s continued territorial expansion in eastern Congo and condemned support “by any external party” and armed group for the M23.
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield asked the council after the vote why some members insisted on such “euphemisms” when over the last year U.N. experts have documented Rwanda’s deployment of between 3,000 and 4,000 troops on Congolese soil “and its influence over M23 operations.”
The U.S., U.K. and other council members expressed disappointment that Rwandan President Paul Kagame refused to attend a peace summit on Dec. 15. The resolution reaffirms the Security Council’s “unwavering support” for Angola’s ongoing mediation efforts between Congo and Rwanda.
The state television report did not give reasons for the military reshuffle. Other key figures affected included Maj. Gen. Christian Ndaywel, who was the chief of military intelligence and among those involved in the peace talks with Rwanda.
The conflict in the region has worsened in the last year, with rebels claiming victories in new territories. Several territories in the region, particularly in the North Kivu province, are already under the control of the rebels.
Planned face-to-face peace talks between the leaders of Congo and Rwanda in Angola were canceled on Sunday with the Congolese presidency saying the Rwandan delegation refused to take part in the meeting while Rwanda’s government said it was postponed.
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Edith M. Lederer contributed to this report from the United Nations
By JUSTIN KABUMBA
Associated Press
