On Wednesday March 19, 2024, troops of Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF) and Ugandan People Defense Forces (UPDF), under the cover of Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC)/M23, have captured the territory of Walikale, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo or DRC). The capture happened as the world was still processing the unexpected and shocking meeting in Doha, Qatar, between the Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan dictator Paul Kagame, under the facilitation of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani on Tuesday, on March 18, 2025 about the crisis in eastern DR Congo. The capture of Walikale, a step towards invading the strategic town of Kisangani and then advancing to Kinshasa, happens when the Qatar Meeting, Luanda Process, and appeal to the US complicate, even worsen the political and military dynamics, already in scramble.
The RDF/UPDF, under the cover of M23 rebels continue to aggravate the human tragedy in DR Congo including systematic massacres of civilians, rapes, forced enrollment of child soldiers, with thousands killed and millions displaced in recent months alone.
Hence, the surprising meeting in Doha was, as reported officially, to discuss a peaceful resolution to the conflict in eastern DR Congo. The meeting was shocking as a few days before, there had been a vicious war of words and insults between DR Congo’s president Félix Tshisekedi and the Rwandan dictator Paul Kagame, with Felix Tshisekedi comparing Paul Kagame to Hitler and Paul Kagame calling Felix Tshisekedi the worst "idiot" he had even met and heard of, who was never elected in the 2019 and 2024 presidential elections but still became DR Congo president (see here: DR Congo - Rwanda: President Felix Tshisekedi Calls for Sanctions Against Rwandan Paul Kagame and Rejects Dialogue Against M23).
In recent days, just before the Qatar meeting, Paul Kagame went even further, saying, in a public address, "You know, Felix spent many years in Belgium. He was a taxi driver; he was many things of that kind. But even with a very bad reputation. He was delivering pizza. The man who employed him, from an italian family, is an old man now and has a shop. So the man, now very old, when he heard that Felix had become president, he said: 'oh my God. How is it possible that this guy who could not even do well the job of delivering pizza has become a president of a country'".
Ironically, sources in Uganda have told AfroAmerica Network that Paul Kagame himself was selling raw and boiled eggs on streets in Kampala, Uganda before he joined the Ugandan National Resistance Army (NRA), then under the leadership of the current Uganda dictator Yoweri Museveni.
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A Controversial Qatar Meeting Among Emir Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani, President Félix Tshisekedi and President Paul Kagame.
What was shocking is that President Félix Tshisekedi had agreed to the Qatar meeting more than a month ago, approved the preparation of the meeting, and then attended, all without the knowledge and the participation of the members of his administration.
In fact, during an interview Le Figaro, a well known French media channel, he said: "The meeting took place in a friendly atmosphere. The work had been done in advance by the Qatar emissaries. I met one of them in mid-February, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. What happens next remains to be determined, because the prerequisite for all this was the immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Discussions must continue for a lasting settlement."
This statement has shocked many Congolese people, government officials and political analytics contacted by AfroAmerica Network.
The meeting held in Qatar was even more surprising as it followed the sanctions by the US and EU targeting the RDF and business units responsible for the humanitarian tragedie, war crimes, and looting of mineral riches in DR Congo.
In fact, Qatar has long been associated with the business interests of Rwandan dictator Paul Kagame and his invasion of DR Congo to loot mineral riches. Qatar is known to be the majority owner of the only Rwandan airline company, Air Rwanda, the Rwandan airport of Bugesera, and the control of The Gasabo Gold Refinery, a Kigali-based company along with several branches located near the border with the Eastern DR Congo. The Gasabo Gold Refinery was sanctioned by EU for serving as a refinery used for laundering illegally extracted gold and other minerals from eastern DRC, mixing with legally sourced minerals and exporting the minerals (see here). The minerals exported from Rwanda are allegedly mostly sent through Qatar. Qatar has also been cited in several prominent cases involving the Rwandan Government, especially the kidnapping and release of Rwandan political critics (see also US-Qatar-Rwanda: Rwandan Government Facing Economical Challenges and Pressure on Human Rights Releases Political Opponents).
The meeting in Doha, Qatar also happened as the AFC/M23, after initially agreeing to join direct peace talks in Luanda, Angola, withdrew when the European Union imposed sanctions on key M23 leaders and RDF military officials and Rwandan business entities.
As the meeting in Doha, Qatar was ending, the commanders of RDF/UPDF troops, under the cover of AFC/ M23 rebels launched an offensive and captured Walikale-Centre city without any resistence from FARDC. The capture is a step in the recent plan and strategy for the capture of Kisangani, and then the march on Kinshasa designed by Uganda and Rwanda dictators Yoweri Museveni and Paul Kagame (see here DR Congo - US - EU - Rwanda: EU Council Imposes Sanctions on RDF - AFC- M23 Leaders as RDF and UPDF Prepare to Seize Kisangani and Kill Luanda Peace Process ).
The Plan of RDF and UPDF, under the cover of AFC/M23, of Seizing Kisangani and then March on Kinshasa in Action.
Based on the information from AfroAmerica Network sources close to both the RDF and UPDF commanders, the plan and the strategy were decided without the direct involvement of the AFC/M23 top leader, Corneille Nangaa also labelled "Pastor BiziNanga" by by his RDF assistants and intelligence agents, referring to the fact that he has been assuming a puppet role similar to the one played by the former Rwandan president Pasteur Bizumungu, when he served as the marionnette of RPF de facto leaders during the 1990-1994 Rwandan invasion, becoming the president after the invasion, before being disgracefully removed from the position when his role as a figurehead was no longer needed.
Walikale is a mineral resource-rich territory in North Kivu, with immense deposits of gold, coltan, tin, cassiterite, lithium and other minerals and natural resources. It is also strategically located, as a connection point of the provinces of North South Kivu, Maniema, and Tshopo. Goma and Bukavu, the last two strategic cities captured by RDF/UPDF under the cover of M23 rebels are in North-Kivu and South-Kivu. Kisangani is located in Tshopo.
As of Thursday, March 20, 2025 the RDF/UPDF troops, under the cover of AFC/M23 rebels, have started to advance toward Mubi, a major trading hub 36 km away, and are expected to continue toward Osokani, Ndjingala, Logu, Biruwe, Lubutu, and Kano, on the N3 road linking Walikale to Kisangani.
Given the lack of resistence from FARDC, the RDF/UPDF are expected to reach Kisangani in a few days, aggravating the situation and with international humanitarian organizations warning of the worsening humanitarian tragedy if no impactful measures are enacted.
The United Nations, the European Union, the United States, and other key world actors continue to call for an immediate ceasefire and a return to the Luanda and Nairobi peace processes.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Defence of UPDF, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of Ugandan dictator Yoweri Museveni who has been advocating for the invasion of DR Congo for years, has travelled to Kigali, Rwanda. According to source, the real reason is to refine the DR Congo Balkanization Plan, given the growing challenges from the international community and the sanctions from the EU, US, and the UN (DR Congo - Rwanda - Uganda: DRC Balkanization Plan In Progress; Is The World Ready for a Nightmare Similar to the 1990-1994 Rwandan Tragedy?)
Will the US Government Intervene to Stop the On-going Humanitarian Tragedy in DR Congo?.
The good news appears to be that the United states of America government may be prioritizing the situation in DRC. This is shown in interviews that President Felix had with both Le Figaro and the famous US media channel Fox News. Both media asked Felix Tshisekedi about the position of the US Government on the situation and the appointment of Massad Boulos, the father-in-law of Trump's daughter, as special envoy to the Great Lakes region.
Fox News referred to the letter President Félix Tshisekedi wrote to US President Donald Trump in February 2025 in which he stated: "Your election has ushered in the golden age for America. Our partnership would provide the U.S. with a strategic advantage by securing critical minerals such as cobalt, lithium, copper and tantalum from the Democratic Republic of Congo."
In the interview on Wednesday March 19, 2025, President Félix Tshisekedi said that DR Congo is willing to partner with the US on a minerals-for-security deal, telling Fox News host Bret Baier that such a partnership would allow Congo to extract and process its critical minerals to benefit US companies, and at the same time build up the African country’s defense and security capabilities.
“I think that the US is able to use either pressure or sanctions to make sure that armed groups who are in the DRC can be kept at bay,” Tshisekedi said.
Fear and Unanswered Questions.
Meanwhile, fear has spread across the country and even in the political and governing institutions. There are increasing rumors, still to be verified, that many government officials and politicians have started to flee the country along with their families, while others are joining the AFC/M23 leadership.
Hence, the Qatar meeting, the failure of Luanda Peace Process and the road to the capture of Kisangani have raised many questions. Among the most prevalent questions from the Congolese people, government officials, and political analysts contacted by AfroAmerica Network are:
- What is the plan of Felix Tshisekedi as the military and political situation worsens?
- What are the secrets held by the three leaders Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani , Felix Tshisekedi, and Paul Kagame?
- What is the source of power the Emir Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani has on President Félix Tshisekedi to be able to push him to meet Paul Kagame in a such an impromptu meeting, especially that the Congolese officials did not even participate in the preparation?
- Why nothing has been said regarding the next steps for the Luanda peace process now in limbo?
AfroAmerica Network is still following the dynamics.
©2025 AfroAmerica Network.
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