NATIONAL SECURITY AND FULFILLED PROMISES? A BRIEF ANALYSIS OF THE STATE OF SIEGE IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

Abstract

Already in the middle of his first term, Felix Tshisekedi has understood that his re-election depends only on the pacification of the eastern region of his deeply damaged country. For over 20 years, informality, corruption, death, trafficking, theft represented a modus vivendi in the North Kivu province. The state of siege implemented on May 6, 2021 is intended to be a major restoration of North Kivu and Ituri provinces. At that time, the provinces fell under the military control of the FARDC (Armed Forces of the DRC), which raises two main questions Is this measure fit to meet the goal established by the President, namely the pacification of the eastern region? Or is it a tool to reinforce the control of the President over the country? However, the State of Siege is more than an exceptional measure: it is a promise of the President to his people. Active, determined and involved in the two territories, with appropriate words addressed to the grieving population, Tshisekedi not only repeats the sensitive elements known worldwide, but he exceeds the usual limits: he desires to remove the “maguilles” from the national army and he wants institutions on which he can rely. Basically, the one who embodies the system is fighting it today. Within this article we aim at exploring if new approach to conflict is prolific and has the potential to succeed at least in its early stages. This study could be performed due to field data provided by Kivu Security Tracker.