The Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi concluded a significant defense and security protocol agreement on Monday, August 28th, following a 48-hour working visit by Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye to Kinshasa.
This landmark agreement, as stated in the official press release, aims to strengthen the bonds of friendship, brotherhood, and cooperation between the two neighboring countries. During a joint press conference at the end of the visit, Presidents Félix Tshisekedi and Evariste Ndayishimiye, who also hold the presidency of the East African Community (EAC), discussed the issue of insecurity in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Our correspondent in Kinshasa, Kamanda wa Kamanda-Muzembe, reports that the Burundian president acknowledged the Congolese government’s efforts to stabilize the region’s east.
Evariste Ndayishimiye emphasized the paramount importance of restoring peace to the DRC, “The region can still take the necessary steps to ensure that the M23 respects the process, to guarantee peace and security in this area”.
On his part, Félix Tshisekedi noted the change in behavior of the regional EAC force. This force, deployed in the eastern DRC, had previously been criticized for its passivity in the face of armed groups. The Congolese president, however, highlighted that the M23 continues to collect taxes in certain areas, stating, “We continue to observe a sort of leniency towards other contingents that, notably, allow the M23 to collect taxes, which is completely illegal and unacceptable”.
Félix Tshisekedi underscored that the region has been plagued by insecurity for the past 30 years, and diplomatic approaches involving all stakeholders – EAC, SADC, and neighboring countries of the DRC – remain the favored course of action to restore peace.
Security Agreement Between the Two Nations
On this Monday in Kinshasa, Alain Tribert Mutabazi, Burundi’s Minister of Defense, and Jean-Pierre Bemba of the DRC signed a defense protocol agreement in the presence of Presidents Évariste Ndayishimiye and Félix Tshisekedi.
This signing solidifies bilateral ties between the two countries and confirms the deepening relationship between Kinshasa and Gitega, according to our Kinshasa correspondent, Patient Ligodi. At first glance, the defense protocol signed by the two countries might seem standard, as explained by Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye: “The agreement primarily concerns mutual support between defense systems. This encompasses training as well as border patrols. We were already engaged in these activities before the deployment of the regional force from the East African Community. We seek to modernize our collaborative efforts.”
In reality, this agreement affirms a strategic rapprochement between the DRC and Burundi, the only two French-speaking countries within the East African Community, within this tumultuous region. “Burundi and the DRC are like the tree and its bark. When you attack one, you attack the other. This means that even beyond the EAC mission, there are other shared defense endeavors; we share borders and we must manage transnational criminals.”
Before its deployment to North Kivu as part of the EAC force, the Burundian army had been stationed in South Kivu in August 2022 under a bilateral agreement with the Congolese government. In this capacity, they monitored the movements of Burundian rebels RED Tabara and FNL, who were still active in South Kivu.
The main challenge ahead is coordinating with other forces present on Congolese soil. Notably, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) views the relationship with the Burundian forces as delicate due to the absence of any formal agreement defining the UN mission’s role within this bilateral arrangement between the DRC and Burundi.