‘When peace returns, we can rebuild our lives’ – Bukavu calls for 'results on the ground' - video Dailymotion

Capital FM Kenya

Residents in Bukavu expressed cautious optimism after the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda initialed the Regional Economic Integration Framework (REIF) in Washington, DC, last week after US mediation.  Despite diplomatic progress, many residents in Bukavu remain sceptical after decades of conflict and a failure to reach or implement peace agreements.  “We welcome the progress of the talks from Washington to Doha. We sense the beginning of an inclusive dialogue. This is something to be welcomed ... because we believe that without dialogue, the war would continue,” explained Bienfait Muhimuzi, a member of the Pomba Solution group, adding that peace and security remain paramount for the people of South Kivu.  “Today, all the roads are closed. We need food, all the banks are closed, and we are trapped,” he explained, before calling on President Felix Tshisekedi to commit to launching elections on schedule. "Only he can speak and clarify that he will not add a single day to his term. This will calm some minds. He should also clarify that he will not touch the constitution."  "If there are no elections in 2028, there will be other consequences. And what will happen? I think a force will impose itself,” he warned.  Josue Asumani, of the South Kivu Provincial Youth Council, welcomed what he described as an "important economic agreement", but warned that only time will tell for the Congolese people who have "already suffered so much, more than 30 years of insecurity and war."  “It is reassuring to see a whole conglomerate of agreements already signed, but the results on the ground have no impact. We invite all stakeholders to demonstrate their good faith. Without willingness, you can sign even 350 agreements,” he noted. “We invite all stakeholders to go beyond, and for each party to ‘give a little', so that peace is not just a slogan, but a reality that the Congolese people can live fully.”  Students in Bukavu also hope the accord can bring tangible relief. “At least 40% of students in the Great Lakes region dropped out last year due to economic hardship and insecurity,” said Aganze Murabaei Arsene, representative of South Kivu students. “We hope that this declaration becomes effective soon — when peace returns, we can rebuild our lives.”  The REIF covers five key sectors — agriculture, energy, mining, telecommunications, and infrastructure — aiming to boost trade and investment across the Great Lakes region.  The DRC government said the framework would only take effect after both sides fully implement the security arrangements agreed under the Concept of Operations (CONOPS), which calls for the neutralisation of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from Congolese soil.  Follow us on: WhatsApp cutt.ly/WhatsAppCFM https://twitter.com/capitalfmkenya/ https://www.facebook.com/capitalfmkenya https://www.instagram.com/capitalfmkenya  Subscribe to Capital FM News for More: https://goo.gl/um4

Transcript

00:00we salute the evolution to speak from Washington and Dora and we feel the

00:25taste of an inclusive dialogue. It is something to salute, especially in our recent declarations.

00:33All those who have read us understood that for Bomba Solutions, it was a dialogue or nothing.

00:40Because we estimated that without a dialogue, there will be continuity of war and that is what we will not need.

00:55The population has needed to live. Today, all roads are closed. We have needed to live, all banks are closed.

01:04And we are confused. We don't know what we have done, the population of the East, to see all this.

01:12We had always proposed to the state of the state that it would be better to pronounce it.

01:19We had to say that it would not be added to a single day on his mandate. It would be

01:29upset some of the people. We had to say that it would not be touched on the Constitution. I think that

01:36some of the people would also be upset. We had to say that the state of the state is

01:41precisely that it is time to take his weapons and leave him the two weeks and a few hours left to

01:48that he can organize elections. Because if we will go until 2028 and if in 2028 there is no election, there will be something else.

01:58And what will happen? I think there will be a force that will be imposed.

02:05We encourage this march, the agreement which was signed here last week, an economic agreement between the

02:22Democratic Democratic Republic of Congo and the Rwanda, well, it is still a relief for the

02:29people Congolese who has already suffered more than 30 years in insecurity during war.

02:36In any case, it is too much.

02:43It is so cold to see all the agreements that have already signed, there are also agreements

02:51with other economic agreements, but the results on the terrain, it has no impact.

02:58So, we encourage the agreements, but we want to invite all the parties present to manifest their

03:06good faith, their will, because without the will, we can sign even 350 agreements.

03:13We invite all the parties present to pass the air, so that each of these parties put a bit of

03:21water in their vin, so that the peace really is not a slogan, but that it is a reality that the

03:39people Congolese live in their entity.

03:49We finished the academic year 2024-2025, but you can understand that at least 40% of the

03:55students from the region of the Grand Life have abandoned, why? Because they were hurt,

04:01the various filters, the washing, the washing, the parents have lost their work. And so that

04:07they have pushed to see where many students have abandoned their study involuntarily. And others

04:12even have lost their life, while it was a goal for them to finish this year academic year. And some have finished it.

04:19Here we go.

‘When peace returns, we can rebuild our lives’ – Bukavu calls for 'results on the ground'

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