Ground Campaign Takes Shape in Walikale
The Congolese army has shifted from communiqués to loudspeakers in its bid to disarm the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), launching a boots-on-the-ground awareness drive in Walikale, North Kivu, a sector portrayed as the most advanced line of the front.
At Chui roundabout, military and police officers brandish megaphones, urging residents to persuade any combatant hiding in the bush to surrender to the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) or to the UN mission Monusco, echoing the 10 October statement issued by the general staff.
General Sasa Nzita, one of Kinshasa’s negotiators in the Washington talks with Kigali, personally leads the outreach, a detail intended to lend political weight to what is otherwise a local operation and to reassure communities still haunted by successive waves of armed group occupation.
Radio Spots and Airdropped Leaflets
Since Monday, local stations relay terse radio spots every hour, repeating the same ultimatum: lay down arms, register with authorities, secure safe passage. FARDC envoys visit churches and mosques after services, blending the military message with moral exhortation aimed at combatants who often rely on community networks for supplies.
Three days earlier, army aircraft scattered leaflets over Pinga and parts of Rutshuru. The paper slips outline surrender procedures and promise dignified treatment, mirroring protocols followed during earlier disarmament waves in Ituri and South Kivu, although those precedents yielded mixed results according to civil-society monitors.
Frontline Geography Explained
No FDLR cadre has yet turned up at a FARDC checkpoint. Officers nevertheless insist on launching the drive in Walikale because the territory serves as a logistical hinge between Masisi, Rutshuru and Lubero, areas where splinters of the Rwandan Hutu movement continue to circulate despite repeated offensives.
Commanders argue they can operate only within their security perimeter. That perimeter now covers Walikale and Pinga but excludes stretches under the Alliance Fleuve Congo-M23 coalition, a reality that complicates any blanket outreach and leaves grey zones where rival groups trade accusations with near total impunity.
Washington Peace Agreement Looms Large
Neutralising the FDLR forms a cornerstone of the 27 June peace understanding signed in Washington by Congolese and Rwandan officials. For Kinshasa, tangible progress on that clause bolsters its diplomatic narrative; for Kigali, any delay feeds the argument that the movement remains a threat across the shared border.
General Nzita’s presence in Walikale therefore serves a dual purpose: pressuring insurgents on the ground while signalling to foreign partners that the Congolese army aligns operations with high-level commitments. Observers note that the visit occurred barely a fortnight after renewed shuttle diplomacy between regional capitals.
Competing Narratives From Kigali and Kinshasa
FARDC maintains that the remaining FDLR cadres camp inside territories patrolled by the AFC/M23 coalition. Rwandan authorities counter that many have already been folded into Congolese army units, a claim Kinshasa flatly denies. The stalemate fuels distrust, even as both sides publicly endorse the June accord.
Without independent verification, each narrative entrenches political leverage. FARDC’s public-relations offensive aims to shift the burden of proof by documenting every surrender attempt, while Kigali presses for parallel action against what it terms embedded elements. The result is a security chessboard on which civilians remain the most exposed pieces.
Human Cost and Fragile Hope
For Walikale’s traders and farmers, the campaign is less about geopolitics and more about reopening roads to Goma markets before the rainy season deepens isolation. Each broadcast and leaflet rekindles cautious hope, yet the absence of visible defections reminds communities that peace, like war, is a long march.
Regional Ramifications
While the present operation is confined to North Kivu, its outcome will echo along the eastern corridor linking Bukavu to Bunia, where smaller FDLR splinters still roam. Success in Walikale could free troops for other fronts, altering the calculus of allied militias and, indirectly, humanitarian access strategies.
Next Steps Under Observation
Military sources say the campaign will be reviewed after two weeks. If no fighters emerge, deployment patterns could shift toward Masisi or Rutshuru, but planners avoid unveiling timetables that would telegraph intent. For now, the combination of microphones, sermons and leaflets remains the chosen instrument of persuasion.
International Monitoring
Monusco teams monitor the campaign, documenting community reactions and potential surrender sites to prepare transit arrangements. Although the UN mission’s future presence in the province is under political debate, its logistical backbone—from airstrips to demobilisation centres—remains indispensable, at least until national structures can handle larger caseloads unaided.
