(PHOTO: Joseph Kabila & Yoweri Museveni at State House in Entebbe, Monday, December 2, 2013)
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Besides the guffaws triggered by the photo above in the sidewalk bars of Kinshasa and the related mocking tweets advising Prez Yoweri Museveni to fire his tailor who seemed to have entered the Ugandan president in a contest on "How To Dress A Zombie," Congolese citizens are seething at the nightmarish prospect of the government signing of anything with M23 Rwanda's proxies.
Most people in Kinshasa who've seen that picture also cringe at Kabila beaming that unguarded smile at who they call the "nemesis of the Congolese nation."
The joint communiqué of the two presidents--unfortunately for Congolese patriots--clearly point to just that, "that the Kampala Dialogue [outrageously paid for by Congo] between the Government of the DRC and M23 should be brought to a conclusion as soon as possible, so as to facilitate the peaceful return of M23 ex-combatants and the completion of the process of demobilization" (Point 3).
By allowing this statement into the joint communiqué, Kabila appears to have caved in to Uganda and the M23. It also belies the bellicose tone and stern warning at neighbors proffered by Kabila just the other day in Goma.
What's more, people in Kinshasa are shaking their collective head at the "peaceful return" thing smacking of impunity of criminals who have raped and killed Congolese citizens, and wreaked havoc on vast swaths of the national territory for the past year and a half.
"What's the endgame, Raïs?" someone was rhetorically addressing Kabila on a bus last night. "Loser Takes All?"
According to a recent strand of Kinshasa conspiracy theory, the goons of M23, though defeated on the battlefield, are emerging as the real winners after the Kampala laundering scheme. Hence, Qui perd gagne! [Loser Takes All].
Faced with the growing resentment of denizens that risks chipping away at their Raïs' popularity, some pro-Kabila stalwarts are now biting their nails in despair and others are concocting desperate plans--like pulling out massive anti-Kampala Talks demos nationwide that could thwart the government government signing an agreement with M23!
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PHOTO CREDITS: Twitter via @imakiT