(27 Jan 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nairobi, Kenya – 27 January 2025
1. Various of political analyst Rashid Abdi speaking with colleagues at their office
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rashid Abdi, political analyst:
"The DR Congo crisis is quite big. The potential for that conflict sucking in many of the neighbouring states is very high. Rwanda is deeply involved in DR Congo and right now we are hearing reports of about the capture of Goma. This potentially is a very combustible situation. Now, in a normal situation America would have been on of the first countries to actually intervene and put out a comment and say to all the parties ‘look, all the eyes of the international community is on you please step back’. We have not seen so far a (US President, Donald) Trump interest in the DR Congo, but probably it is just a matter of time."
3. Wide of Abdi speaking
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rashid Abdi, political analyst:
"This conflict has multiple dimensions, it is a geo-political theatre of confrontation between multiple actors, it has strategic mineral resources, people are fighting over the spoils of who controls what and so, the United States cannot afford to be a bystander. It needs to assert itself more. It needs to bring about its full ability to convene first of all, all these parties and bring together some kind of a peace process. But also to put pressure on the parties."
5. Wide of Abdi speaking
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rashid Abdi, political analyst:
"I think if the United States basically retrenches from Africa, most of these conflicts would basically be, I think, much more uncontrollable. Still, I think there would be a reason to argue that the United States needs to be at least involved, to be supportive of some of the peace processes in Africa. It cannot, I think, afford to pull back completely."
7. Abdi speaking to colleagues
STORYLINE:
The United States "cannot afford to be a bystander" in the current conflict in Congo, a political analyst warned on Monday.
The warning comes as Rwanda-backed rebels claimed they captured eastern Congo’s largest city, Goma, early Monday, as Congo’s government said the rebel advance was a “declaration of war."
The M23 rebels announced the city’s capture in a statement minutes before a 48-hour deadline expired that had been imposed by the group for the Congolese army to surrender their weapons.
Rashid Abdi, a political analyst and researcher for Nairobi based think tank Sahan, said the United States had been eerily quiet on the ongoing conflict in Congo.
"We have not seen so far a Trump interest in the D.R Congo, but probably it is just a matter of time," he said.
"This conflict has multiple dimensions, it is a geo-political theatre of confrontation between multiple actors, it has strategic mineral resources, people are fighting over the spoils of who controls what and so, the United States cannot afford to be a bystander. It needs to assert itself more," he added.
Abdi warned he felt most of the conflicts in Africa would be much more uncontrollable with the absence of U.S intervention.
The M23 rebels’ offensive in the heart of the mineral-rich region threatens to dramatically worsen one of Africa’s longest wars and further displace civilians.
According to a United Nations report, over a third of the population of North Kivu province, where Goma is located, are currently displaced and the capture of Goma will likely exacerbate the situation.
Congo late Saturday broke off relations with Rwanda, which has denied backing the M23 despite evidence collected by U.N. experts and others.
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