Eastern DRC: Army allies, MONUSCO protect civilians amidst precarious security situation

A silent faceoff.

Alpha, a young Congolese is posted on a hill in Saké, a town in eastern DRC.

Beyond these hills, in Saké, estern DRC, fighters from the M23 rebel group lurk.

The rebels are among more than 100 armed groups vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich area near the border with Rwanda.

Faced with this situation, many young people from the communities have enlisted in a local armed group called the Wazalendo, or the Patriots in Swahili.

“I decided to take up arms because of the security situation in my country. We are fighting the enemy (M23 movement), who is a foreigner in our country, who is not Congolese and is fighting Congo. We're not going to let them (M23) take our country,” Alpha says.

If many have already fled Saké Wazalendo or the patriots in Swahili who back the Congolese armed forces are still here. Just like some residents.

“I can see that the enemy is on the other hill. And here, at home, it's the Wazalendo (one of the armed groups fighting M23 rebels) who are there, as well as the government soldiers. Now, I don't know if I'm going to stay at home or not as long as the enemy is there,” Bitakweya says.

Further east, away from the frontline, the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo patrol the streets of Goma.

The M23 rebels, whom Kinshasa accused of being backed by Rwanda, are just a few dozen kilometres the capital of the North Kivu province.

“The strategy of MONUSCO depends upon the level of the violence that is created by the belligerent groups. It totally depends upon the level of threat that is posed by the illegal groups or for the protection of civilians,” Brig. General Ranjan Mahajan, Monusco Center Sector Commander for North Kivu explains.

The security situation is precarious, marked by recurrent clashes, massacres of civilians and massive population displacements.

The UN estimated in July that the North Kivu province was home to 2.8 million displaced.

Kinshasa has long accused Kigali of backing M23 fighers who operate in its eastern North Kivu province, an accusation Rwanda denies.