The ongoing war in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between the M23 Movement and the Congolese army (FARDC) has sparked intense discussions regarding a secret agreement between President Félix Tshisekedi of the DRC and his Burundian counterpart, President Évariste Ndayishimiye. This agreement led to the deployment of Burundian troops to support Kinshasa in its fight against M23. However, the mission has largely been unsuccessful, with heavy losses suffered by Burundian forces.
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The two countries reportedly entered into a classified military cooperation deal aimed at stationing Burundian troops in North Kivu to reinforce the Congolese army against M23. As part of the deal, Tshisekedi committed to providing financial aid and military equipment to ensure Burundian forces could sustain the fight.
Since the arrival of Burundian troops in eastern DRC, significant changes have been observed on the battlefield. Despite their initial objective to eliminate M23, the Burundian forces have struggled to overpower the Movement. The failure to achieve their goals led to diminishing confidence in their capabilities, as more Burundian soldiers lost their lives in combat. This, in turn, caused unrest within Burundi itself.
As part of the deal, President Tshisekedi reportedly gave President Ndayishimiye $5 million as a gesture of appreciation. Additionally, each Burundian soldier deployed in the DRC was supposed to receive $5,000. However, reports suggest that these funds never reached the soldiers. Instead, it is alleged that the money was funneled directly to Ndayishimiye and a small circle of his close allies, while the soldiers continued to receive their standard salaries from Burundi.
Ndayishimiye had initially believed that his troops would easily achieve their objective, but it soon became apparent that fighting M23 was far more challenging than expected. After suffering major defeats in North Kivu, Burundian forces were also deployed to South Kivu, where they faced further setbacks, as M23 continued to expand its territorial control.
Faced with the reality that his troops were unable to turn the tide of the war as anticipated, Ndayishimiye began considering withdrawing them from the DRC. However, due to the financial and political commitments he had made with Tshisekedi, as well as the personal benefits he had gained from the arrangement, withdrawing the troops became a complicated issue. This situation reportedly created tensions within Burundi, particularly among government officials.
Ultimately, the military agreement between President Félix Tshisekedi and President Évariste Ndayishimiye played a significant role in prolonging the conflict in eastern DRC. Although it was intended to help defeat M23, the plan did not go as expected. Instead, both the Burundian and Congolese armies faced considerable challenges, suffering defeats that have embarrassed their respective leaders and cast doubt on their military strategies.
