The predictable escalation underway in the eastern DRC sees civilians massacred, as always

For over a week, the Congolese government, via its FARDC-FDLR-FNDB-WAZALENDO military coalition, has launched large-scale offensives in North Kivu and South Kivu, in breach of the ceasefire agreed during negotiations.

This large-scale offensive, evidently planned long in advance by Kinshasa, is simply the logical continuation of President Tshisekedi's desire to perpetuate the war and decimate numerous civilians still remaining in eastern DRC.

During a recent press briefing in Kinshasa, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior expressed full confidence that the territories under AFC/M23 control would be recaptured in the near future.

Kinshasa's current offensive, marked by aerial bombardments using aircraft and drones, is unfortunately targeting innocent civilians. Minembwe has already recorded hundreds of deaths among the civilian population.

Concurrently, Kinshasa has embarked on a familiar manipulation strategy: citing Amnesty International reports that accuse the AFC/M23 of massacres and rapes (without evidence), while a multitude of regime trolls and spin doctors churn out fake news across social media platforms.

The truly alarming aspect of all this is the silence of the international community and the mediators in the eastern DRC conflict. They display an appalling complacency when Mr Tshisekedi massacres civilians and flouts the terms of various rounds of negotiations, yet they urgently convene meetings the moment the AFC/M23 retaliates and puts Kinshasa under military pressure.

It is equally clear that the AFC/M23 should not allow itself to be indefinitely distracted by Kinshasa. This revolutionary movement places the defence of populations massacred by Kinshasa at the heart of its mission, and Kinshasa's deceit and bad faith must be factored into its calculations.

On the ground, contrary to the noise on social media, the AFC/M23 is reacting bravely, vigorously beating back the attacks launched by Kinshasa's coalition. This well-trained and battle-ready revolutionary army is inflicting heavy losses on the FARDC-FDLR-FNDB-WAZALENDO alliance who target and slaughter innocent civilians.

Consequently, many observers believe the AFC/M23 would be wise to seize Katanga in order to cut off the funding stream for Félix Tshisekedi's war effort a conflict he is keen to prolong in order to cling to power in Kinshasa.