Dr André Mbata Mangu is an Ordinary Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (RDC). He was the First Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the DRC and has taught public law at a number of universities in Africa and Europe.
A few days ago, South Africa's former President, and the Founder of the Thabo Mbeki African School of Public & International Affairs, Dr Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki engaged with UNISA students and academics, particularly those from his African School.
Addressing the conflict in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in which Rwanda President Paul Kagame has been involved since he seized power in the early 1990s and speaking about the DRC, Mbeki left many students and academics dissappointed. Very few could hardly recognize the intellectual who authored "Africa: the time has come" (1998), the man who used to promote "quality political leadership" to achieve an "African Renaissance" and who is currently the Chancellor of UNISA, "The African University shaping futures in the service of humanity" (UNISA Vision)
To serve or promote some personal interests he certainly shares with other foreign leaders and Western multinationals, the former president also failed to stand for the truth and reality when he addressed the situation in the DRC.
Rehashing Kagame outdated rhetoric to justify his crime of aggression (protect the Rwandan people, prevent a new genocide by Interhamwe who perpetrated the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda in 1990 before fleeing to the DRC, eliminate them, and protect the Tutsi population inhabiting the DRC), Thabo Mbeki emerged as one of the strongest supporters of the Rwandan ruler and his authoritarian regime.
Because of his unreserved support to Kagame, the former South African President who used to be a champion of democracy and human rights in Africa may be counted among the best advocates of the dictator and seems to have joined many other political and business leaders, especially in the West, who turned out to become Rwanda "agents" or "courtiers" around the world.
As he revealed, he could talk about democracy to Senegalese President Macky Sall and plead for the liberation of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, but Mbeki never engaged Kagame on this issue of democracy and the release of political opponents languishing in Rwandan prosons.
The Rwandan Big or Strong Man seems to consider that he was born to rule and to rule for ever, unopposed. He managed to establish a de facto one party system or military regime. Paul Kagame never organises free and fair elections. Human rights are constantly infringed and political leaders know what to expect when they engage in the opposition. There is no democracy, no freedom of expression and no freedom of the media in Rwanda. President Kagame can be praised for his good although authoritarian governance but democracy, human rights and free, credible, and fair elections in Rwanda are not matters of concern for President Mbeki and other Western leaders who support President Kagame and his repeated adventures in Eastern DRC.
Regrettably, for the former South African President, the Kagame style leadership is the kind of political leadership that should be emulated around the continent and would be needed for an "African Renaissance"!
Nobody would blame Thabo Mbeki for accepting Kagame's invitation to commemorate the Rwandan genocide in the forthcoming days. However, he did not need a public lecture at UNISA to announce his next trip to Kigali or to demonstrate his friendship with the Rwandan dictator.
The former South African president would not express any word, regret or condemnation about the genocide of close to 10 millions of Congolese people who were killed on Congolese soil by the Rwandan army and Kagame's puppet rebels of M23. He also distorted the history by not telling the truth about President Mobutu and the birth of the rebellion of the M23.
Kinyarwanda-speaking people were already granted Congolese citizenship under President Mobutu. Some of them served as members of Parliament and ministers. An other was even appointed Chief of staff of the President of the Republic. On the other hand, M23 was not born out of frustration of people who were denied the Congolese citizenship. This is Kagame's creation to help him perpetuate his business of looting and acquire more land for Rwanda in the DRC. This is well
documented and could not be ignored by a political leader and a brilliant intellectual of the calibre of the former South African President.
President Mbeki sadly justifies Rwandan aggression and intervention in the DRC, which runs against cardinal principles of international relations as embodied in the United Nations (UN) Charter and the Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU) such as respect for the territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of other States.
It is a pity that Mbeki could endorse Kagame's warlike rhetoric to justify the unjustifiable. Yet, nothing under international law would justify Rwandan aggression of the DRC, the looting of its natural resources and the violations of the rights of the Congolese people by Rwanda or the presence of her army on the territory of the DRC.
President Cyril Ramaphosa recently pushed for SADC military intervention to help the government of president Felix Tshisekedi Tshilombo recover the territorial integrity of the nation, protect the rights of their people and bring Rwandan aggression and looting in Eastern DRC to an end. He was right not to consult with the former president on the issue as he already knew his position on the conflict and his support for the Rwandan president.
The former South African President therefore deliberately ignored or chose to mislead his audience about the M23 terrorist rebel group and about the Banyamulenge. They are granted Congolese citizenship under the current DRC Constitution of 2006 (Article 19). Some of them are members of the cabinet, the national Assembly, the Senate, the provincial governments and assemblies. They feel very much at home in the DRC and never thought going to Rwanda or called for the Rwandan government to violate the territorial integrity and enter the DRC to protect their political rights when the government of Rwanda does not care for the rights of their own people in Rwanda.
How many Interhamwe (Hutu accused of perpetrating genocide against Tutsi) who flew Rwanda in 1990 are still alive and actively combating Kagame in the DRC after his army was allowed to enter and left the country claiming that the job (elimination of people who committed genocide) was done?
Economist Mbeki knows well that the real motive of Rwandan aggression of the DRC is land acquisition and the looting of the mineral resources that Rwanda exports to the US, Britain, in and European Union. This is an "economic war" waged by Rwanda with the complicity of Western governments and multinational companies.
The West is the first consumer of the blood minerals stolen from DRC and has been backing Rwandan aggression.
This why the EU recently signed a protocol with Rwanda about the exploitation of mineral resources like coltan knowing very well that they cannot be found in Rwanda but looted from DRC. "States have no friends, but interests", said former French President General de Gaulle. Interests therefore prevail over respect for democracy, human rights and International Law. Western support for the Apartheid government in South Africa was based on this evidence.
Official statements or communiques to show solidarity with the people of the Congo on the surface cannot deny this fact.
Leadership is also about knowing and telling the truth instead of dismissing it.
What is going on in the DRC is not different from what is happening in Ukraine or Gaza. Sadly, African leaders like President Mbeki and Western mentors keep a blind eye on genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity and the pillage being committed by Rwandan forces and M23 terrorists.
Instead of blaming Kagame who is violating the rules and principles of international law, former South African President Mbeki and other leaders have chosen to side with Rwanda and rather condemn the Congolese government and people.
Like racism or apartheid in South Africa, genocide is a crime under international crime. So are war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.
Therefore, an international crime like the Tutsi genocide in 1990 Rwanda which was condemned by the entire cannot justify an other or several others like genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity being currently perpetrated in the DRC by Rwanda using her army and their puppets terrorists of M 23.
Any support to the aggressors and terrorists, be it political, economic, financial, logistic, diplomatic, military or other and any complicity with Rwanda is immoral and runs against the values of human civilisation. All the same for silence on these crimes which amounts to complicity with Rwanda.
Governments of countries such as the United States, Britain, and members of the European Union have gone as far as signing agreements which encourage the Rwandan government to pursue it's criminal activities in the DRC while leaders like Mbeki do not hide their support or their admiration for Kagame.
President Mbeki cannot convince us that Africa with leaders like President Kagame is "the Africa We Want" and Kagame's intervention in the DRC demonstrates the "quality political leadership" that he committed to promoting when he founded the UNISA Thabo Mbeki African School.
Finally, enough is enough. The Congolese people have decided to stand up to free their country from Rwandan aggression.
African Renaissance cannot be achieved without peace in the DRC, which is the heart and the richest country of the continent.
The DRC and Rwanda entertained friendly relations for decades until genocide and President Kagame's accession to power. Genocide was perpetrated in Rwanda by some Rwandese against other Rwandese citizens. Congolese people were never involved.
Leaders like President Mbeki and others who support Paul Kagame should help him understand that the futures of the nations are entertwined. Peace in the DRC and the Great Lakes region is crucial for Africa's development. A tiny country of a few millions cannot for too long prevail over a nation of over 100 millions people. Accordingly, those who applaud Kagame for Rwandan aggression of the DRC will not take too long to realise that they were wrong and failed politically and/or intellectually to demonstrate leadership in shaping futures in the service of Africa and humanity.