Africa

FDLR Soldiers in Buleusa, Walikale

After weeks of anticipation and suspense, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) government troops FARDC have launched attacks on positions of the FDLR Rwandan rebels in Buleusa, Walikale, North Kivu province, sources in Goma, the capital of North-Kivu have told AfroAmerica Network.

FARDC Troops celebrating win over M23

"as a country[Tanzania] we won’t be ready to join any combined attack against the rebels because not all people in eastern DR Congo are FDLR rebels,”  Bernard Membe, Tanzania’s Minister for Foreign Affairs told the media in Dar-es-Salaam Tanzania, hence rejecting, for some observers, the urgency of conducting military operations against Rwandan rebels and refugees based in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) .

Angola and ICGLR President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos: His position on military operations will be critical

The United Nations Security Council's deadline for the UN Peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO) and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) troops (FARDC) to launch military operations against Rwandan refugees in Eastern DRC has expired today, January 2, 2015. Based on the mandate, MONUSCO could launch military operations anytime, starting today. But, according to sources within MONUSCO, the DRC government and those close to SADC and ICGLR, what is on paper is not necessarily easy to implement. That is why, beginning Monday December 29, 2014, meetings among diplomats from the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), SADC, ICGLR, and DRC government officials, including top military leaders have been Held in Goma to devise a followup strategy. According to sources in Goma and within MONUSCO, three options are on the table: