Despised by the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, challenged by United Nations Security Council members, the United Nations Secretary General Special Representative in the DRC, Martin Kobler, has finally been relieved of his post as the Head of MONUSCO. His term will end in October 2015 and will not be renewed. MONUSCO is the UN peacekeeping mission in DRC.
All, if not most of Martin Kobler's woos started in Summer 2014, after the Intervention Forces Brigade, known as FIB, composed of troops
from Tanzania, Malawi and South Africa defeated the Rwandan military proxy militias, known as M23. Martin Kobler wanted to follow the victory in M23 with an all out attack on Rwandan rebels. However, Martin Kobler who was viewed as close to the Rwandan Government leaders, especially Rwandan dictator Paul Kagame, was quickly outmanouvered by Tanzania and South Africa, whoc governments quickly declared that they did not view Rwandan rebels as a threat to peace in Eastern DRC. Rwandan rebels include three factions: FDLR, RUD-Urunana and RPR-Inkeragutabara. The DRC government, in intelligence with Tanzania and South African Governments, decided to rather focus on Ugandan rebels, known as ADF while sidelining MONUSCO in operational planning.
Frustrated and apparently as a show of influence, Martin Kobler started having roundtable negotiations with the DRC opposition. The move irritated the DRC government, which publicly scolded him and, months later, expelled MONUSCO human rights Chief Scott Campbell for reporting on abuses by the Congolese security forces.
Sidelined by the Government, despised by the population for failing to protect them agains the ADF rebels, unable to implement the regional peace agreement known as Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework, abandonned by major supporters such as the United States Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, Russ Feingold, who resigned from his position, and finally, unable to deliver on its promise to dismanntle the Rwandan rebels, MONUSCO's Martin Kobler started counting days before his imminent departure.
When some of his deputies started jumping ship early this year. It was no longer if, but when Martin Kobler will finally throw the towel. He sought and lost the position of UN OCHA head. He has done so, as AfroAmerica Network had predicted (For more on the events leading to Martin Kobler exit, see our articles here and more on Martin Kobler and MONUSCO).
Most observers in DRC now wonder whether Martin KObler's departure will signal the end of warmongering policies of his tenure at the United Nations Secretary General Special Representative in the DRC. The consensus appear to be that it might. But some are quick to dampen the hopes, given the multitude of warlords and militias, some backed by neighbors, infesting Eastern DRC.
