WeeklySA_AdminINCURSION: Major-General Peter Cirimwami’s killing marks a critical point in the conflict in DRC, amid a geopolitical scramble for the country’s vast mineral wealth…
By Kambale Musavuli
Major General Peter Cirimwami, the military governor of North Kivu province, was shot near Kasengezi this past Thursday and later succumbed to his injuries. The incident occurred as he visited the frontline to assess the deteriorating security situation.
His visit occurred while DRC President Félix Tshisekedi was attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Speaker of Parliament Vital Kamhere was in Vietnam, and the Minister of Communication Patrick Muyaya was in France.
Appointed as governor and commander of military operations in September 2023, General Cirimwami led key military initiatives, including Operations Sokola 1 and 2, aimed at neutralising rebel groups in the volatile Kivu region.
A past UN Group of Experts report documented his use of Rwandan Hutu combatants, known as the FDLR, who have operated in Congo since 1994, to fight against the Rwanda Defense Forces and M23 in the Kivus. Rwanda has cited this as a justification for its continued military presence in DRC.
Cirimwami’s death marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict.
The tragedy occurred while President Tshisekedi was at the World Economic Forum in Davos, promoting the “Green Corridor” initiative. This plan, which seeks to extend the Lobito Corridor (a project funded primarily by the United States to secure access to Congo’s cobalt, copper, and lithium) and attract USD 1 billion in investment, would connect the Kivu provinces to Kinshasa. The plan would effectively bypass the Rwanda-Uganda-Kenya trade route.
The M23 exploited the president’s absence to push closer to Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, threatening its takeover.
Conflicting accounts of Chirimwami’s death quickly emerged: M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka first announced the news on social media, while the DRC government stated, without identifying the assailant, that General Cirimwami was wounded, airlifted to Kinshasa, and later succumbed to his injuries.
However, trusted local sources have confirmed that he was shot in an area controlled by Congolese government forces, further fueling the conflicting accounts surrounding his death.
As of Friday afternoon, the United States and France issued orders urging their citizens living in Goma to leave as the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels near Sake are getting closer to the city.
This tragic event underscores the urgent need for international support to address the escalating conflict in the DRC. The loss of a high-ranking official–one of many in the DRC over the past two decades–raises pressing questions about the government’s ongoing diplomatic ties with Rwanda, given the latter’s persistent support for rebel groups destabilising the region. Simultaneously, external powers are intensifying their geopolitical scramble over the country’s vast mineral wealth, further complicating the crisis.
Meanwhile, the Congolese embassy in France is mobilizing the Congolese diaspora to participate in discussions this Saturday January 25, 2025 on revising the Congolese constitution. Many, including myself, anticipate that the proposed revisions aim to remove presidential term limits, extending the term from five to seven years, and allowing President Tshisekedi to run for an additional term under the new constitution after completing his second.
This highlights the internal challenges facing the Congolese people as they contend with a comprador bourgeoisie intent on maintaining power, and reminiscent of Mobutu’s tactics during the rebellions of the 1960s and 1970s in Congo. – People’s Despatch
