According to the Congolese delegation, they are now finding no logic signing a peace agreement with an entity that has been vanquished militarily. True, M23 has suffered military defeats in the recent days, but one wonders if Kabila thinks he is safe, especially if the legitimate political concerns that made these guys take up arms are not resolved.

Understandably, Kabila is buoyed by the recent victories against the M23 but he forgets that those victories were won by the allied UN forces. Kabila might as of now seem to have won the battle, but he forgets that he has not won the war yet. Besides, does Kabila, in his own wisdom, think that the UN forces will stay in DR Congo forever to babysit him?

DR Congo has a million problems that require a well thought out political solutions. Right now it is a country that is highly polarised along tribal and ethnic lines. There are more than 30 fighting groups, all opposed to the Kabila government. Of the 30 rebel groups, Kabila has just temporarily defeated the M23. This was a victory wholly secured by the borrowed power of the UN. Instead of using this opportunity to talk peace with this group before he moves on to handle the remaining groups, Kabila is now busy squandering the golden opportunity so far available.

Kabila presides over the most ill-trained and undisciplined military force in Africa. This is a force that has plundered, raped and killed its citizens over and over again. Instead of mending fences with his foes who humiliated him many times after scoring easy military victories in 2012, Kabila now naively thinks it’s all over. Instead, he is becoming so arrogant and intransigent to the very people who put off the rope on his neck i.e. the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region when he badly needed them.

M23 has legitimate political concerns that cannot be solved by this temporary military victory by the UN forces. Gen Sultani Makenga and others can even be shipped to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, but many more ‘Makengas’ will come forward in eastern DR Congo for as long as the problem of the Congolese Rwanda-phones is not fully and satisfactorily settled.

Besides, Kabila owes respect and simple decency to regional leaders who have been on his side trying to end the Congo conflict. Kabila personally requested President Museveni to spearhead the peace negotiations when he was quickly losing ground in the Kivu region in 2012.

President Museveni and other regional leaders prevailed over the M23 to stop the advance movements to return to the negotiation table. Not only did the M23 halt the advance, they agreed to move out of Goma city and handed it to DR Congo government forces.

Finally, Kabila might be feeling macho after the UN routed out the M23 in the eastern DR Congo, however, he should talk peace if not for his own good but at least for the good of the Congolese who have paid the biggest price in the ever volatile eastern DR Congo. They have suffered immensely largely due to the top leadership that is ideologically bankrupt. And sadly, this leadership has stretched for over decades now. If Kabila can end the M23 conflict now and forever by talking peace, that will be the most beautiful Christmas gift he will have given to the Congolese.

The author works at the Uganda Media Centre
editorial@ug.nationmedia.com