EP 2 The Congo Crisis Explained I African News Review 🌍

In this episode of African News Review, hosts Adesoji Iginla and Milton Allimadi discuss the ongoing crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, focusing on the role of Rwanda and the M23 militia. 

They analyze the media's portrayal of these events, the international community's response, and the historical context of the conflict. 

The conversation emphasizes the importance of accurate reporting and the impact of words on public perception and policy. 

The hosts call for greater awareness and action regarding the humanitarian crisis in the region, highlighting the need for peace and stability in Africa.

Takeaways

*The situation in Congo is dire, with significant violence and instability.
*Embassies should be protected and not attacked, as they represent sovereign territories.
*Rwanda's involvement in Congo is perceived as aggressive and unjustified by many.
*Media narratives can shape public perception and influence international responses.
*The M23 militia is a significant player in the conflict, backed by Rwanda.
*International reactions to the crisis are often influenced by economic interests.
*The UN's role in Congo has been criticized for its effectiveness and accountability.
*Accurate reporting is crucial for understanding the complexities of the conflict.
*The Congolese government faces internal challenges that exacerbate the crisis.
*There is a need for a coordinated international response to support peace in the region.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to African News Review
00:59 Current Global Focus on Africa: Congo and Sudan
02:29 Embassy Attacks in Kinshasa: A Response to Rwanda
05:29 The Humanitarian Crisis in Kinshasa
08:11 M23's Control Over Goma: Implications and Reactions
11:06 Media Representation of the Conflict
14:12 Historical Context: Rwanda's Involvement in Congo
17:25 The Role of the United Nations and Hate Speech
23:39 Motivations Behind Media Narratives
27:07 The Power of Words in Conflict Reporting
28:15 Media Narratives and Propaganda
31:12 The Role of Rwanda in the M23 Conflict
35:40 International Responses and Political Dynamics
38:59 The Economic Interests Behind Political Alliances
44:19 The Congolese Government's Failures
49:13 Historical Context of the Congo Conflict
54:31The Future of Congo and Regional Stability

Transcript

Adesoji Iginla (00:01.632)
Yes, greetings, greetings, and welcome to this African news review on Adesogui Speaks Knowledge. This is a weekly conversation about news in African news in the Western media, and we get to deconstruct the story. I'm your host, usual, Adesogui Iginla, and with me is none other than journalist and publisher, Black Star News.

a broadcaster with WBAI 99.5 New York radio. He teaches history at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. holds degrees in journalism and economics from Columbia and Circos universities respectively. He's currently going back to the school, know, still hitting the books for his doctorate in African history. His book, Manufacturing Hates.

Milton Allimadi (00:48.398)
Thank

Adesoji Iginla (00:57.506)
is what inspired this program. And I speak of no other than comrade Milton Ali Madi. Welcome comrade.

Milton Allimadi (01:04.6)
Thank you, Conrad.

Adesoji Iginla (01:06.784)
Yes, first things first, what's your general assessment of the news around the world vis-a-vis Africa as you see it before we delve into today's stories?

Milton Allimadi (01:22.112)
Well, the focus the last two weeks has been on Congo. Obviously, there's a lot going on in Sudan as well. So we cannot take our eyes off Sudan just because the current focus is on Congo. I mean, obviously, Congo has the potential to explode in a very horrific way. But Sudan is already horrific as we speak right now.

Adesoji Iginla (01:25.226)
Hmm. Yep.

Adesoji Iginla (01:35.308)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (01:45.898)
Okay, okay. That said, let's go to our first story, which comes from Radio Dottie Vella, the German broadcaster. And they head up and the news is titled DRC EU France condemns attack on embassies. France has led European

Union's condemnation of attacks on embassies in Kinshasa. Germany said it has cancelled planned consultations with Rwanda over alleged support for the M23 rebels whose advance sparked the violence. And you can see some footage of what has transpired so far. And I'll continue. A spokesman for the EU Foreign Affairs Chief Kadja Scala said in Brussels that the bloc was calling for the protection of diplomatic missions

in accordance with Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The Belgian, Belgian, Dutch, Kenyan, Rwandan, Ugandan, and US embassies have also been attacked by protesters as hundreds of thousands of people flee amid fighting in the eastern part of the country. Can you just speak to why these specific countries were targeted as part of

Milton Allimadi (03:11.274)
Okay. Well, the Congolese people perceived them as condoning the invasion of Congo by Rwanda under the guise of M23. So that is why those countries were specifically targeted. They did not target the South African embassy because obviously South Africa is part of the intervention force that has been deployed by SADC, which is the South African regional.

Adesoji Iginla (03:23.915)
Okay.

Milton Allimadi (03:42.226)
economic grouping deployed by Sadak to the Eastern Congo. They're not attacking the embassy of Ghana. They're not attacking the embassy of Nigeria. They're not attacking the embassy of Togo, Gabon, Burkina Faso. So it's obviously for a specific reason. And they perceive these countries as either condoning or indirectly

Adesoji Iginla (03:43.948)
Yep.

Adesoji Iginla (03:47.767)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (03:51.596)
You

Adesoji Iginla (03:58.668)
So which means the coon?

Adesoji Iginla (04:05.122)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (04:10.357)
Okay.

Milton Allimadi (04:12.053)
supporting Rwanda in its intervention into the Congo. And that is why, and I would like to add that all of them should condemn just as strongly the invasion of Congo by Rwanda, just as they're condemning very strongly the attacks on their embassies, which of course nobody should condone. Embassies should not be attacked because those are sovereign territories of the

Adesoji Iginla (04:14.316)
Hmm.

Okay. Go on.

Adesoji Iginla (04:28.758)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (04:35.062)
Sure. correct.

Milton Allimadi (04:41.185)
specific countries. But at the same time, national borders are also sovereign.

Adesoji Iginla (04:50.53)
Okay, I'll continue. The US citizens urge to leave is the headline of this section and due to an increase in violence throughout the city of Kinshasa, the US embassy in Kinshasa advised US citizens to shelter in place and then safely depart while commercial options are available read a statement from the US embassy urging their citizens to leave. But I'll continue. Kinshasa resembles a battlefield.

People are gathering and they started to set the Rwandan embassy on fire. They started to burn tires, they started to riot and you know they have to drop this part in. The police came, started to disperse the crowd which shot and the crowd moved on and began looting supermarkets. By the end of the day, the city looked devastated. You want to add something?

Milton Allimadi (05:44.851)
There's not really much to add there. I just want to reiterate to listeners that are with us and listening. Embassies should not be attacked because they're vulnerable, right? Because if people start attacking embassies, means foreign nationals that represent the governments in the various countries can be physically attacked and easily killed because they would not have any protection. So that is why attacking embassies is a no-go. It should never be condoned or supported by anybody.

Adesoji Iginla (05:50.028)
Mm. Mm.

Yep, correct.

Adesoji Iginla (06:03.414)
countries act as well.

Milton Allimadi (06:15.069)
But at the same time, obviously, we should have put it in context. We know the reason why they're taking the ramp against these embassies, and you don't want it to ever reach that position. But at least this time around, I'm seeing that most of the language coming from the countries that are seen as having been supportive of Rwanda have been firm in saying that the invasion will not be tolerated and the occupation of Goma.

Adesoji Iginla (06:15.159)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (06:44.326)
by Rwanda's proxy army, which is the M23, cannot be tolerated and must be reversed. So that has been encouraging. Whether the attacks on the embassy had anything to do with that strong language, that is something that I'm not, I don't know.

Adesoji Iginla (06:53.555)
Okay.

Adesoji Iginla (07:03.188)
Okay. Continue. So you can see a picture of the goings on. And it goes on. The protests are in response to the advance of Rwanda's backed M23 into Goma, a major city in the country's conflicted Torn East. Protesters are demanding that the international community pressure Rwanda over its alleged involvement. We denounce the hypocrisy of the international community.

Timothy Tishmi, one of the protesters. They must tell Rwanda to stop this adventure. And we take one final piece. On Tuesday, Cornell Iyanga, leader of the AFC Rebel Alliance that includes the M23, I must add that he contested the presidency against Felix Tishigedi and has flipped. So.

Leader of the AFC Rebel Alliance that includes the M23 told Reuters news agency that Goma Airport was in rebel hands, which is also confirmed by diplomatic and security sources. They have taken control of the airport, M23s are there, fighters are there. Another security source told the AFP news agency, adding that more than 1000

200 Congolese soldiers have surrendered. Why is that important to underscore? The surrendering? Yeah.

Milton Allimadi (08:34.787)
Okay, so enough. Okay, so there are number of points there I want to point on just briefly. Number one, over Rwanda's alleged involvement, right? He yet at the same time the article did not says Rwanda's alleged backed M23.

Adesoji Iginla (08:40.576)
address.

Adesoji Iginla (08:51.563)
Okay.

Adesoji Iginla (09:03.562)
Hmm. You want that back.

Milton Allimadi (09:03.843)
They specifically say Rwanda backed M23. And yet in the same article, they're still saying over its alleged involvement. You know, these people, you know, they think people are stupid as some of these writers, you know?

Adesoji Iginla (09:11.732)
Yeah, which is, yeah, yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (09:22.87)
Well, would you put that down to the editor or the writer?

Milton Allimadi (09:28.676)
Well, that comes when you're trying to be dishonest, you see? Because if you're honest, then you would not catch yourself making such a faux pas, right? Because once you already said Rwanda backed M23, it means you know it is Rwanda backed M23. But in a previous article, you had probably used over Rwanda's alleged involvement. So you forgot to take that out, you see?

Adesoji Iginla (09:32.322)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (09:38.109)
You

Adesoji Iginla (09:44.588)
Rwanda and you be consistent throughout your piece.

Adesoji Iginla (09:55.648)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (09:58.008)
You just copied and pasted it from me.

Adesoji Iginla (10:00.418)
You

Milton Allimadi (10:02.614)
I think she went too much, right?

Adesoji Iginla (10:04.546)
I mean, the news article is free, so probably they thought they could get away with it. But unfortunately, you know.

Milton Allimadi (10:12.739)
Yeah, when you lie you try to be dishonest sometimes, you know You just trap yourself, you know and you leave the evidence behind That confounds to people that you know the truth, but yet you're still trying to lie. Okay, that's number one number two It is not mentioned something that you introduced the fact that the leader of one of the Militias that make up this

Adesoji Iginla (10:17.804)
Mm.

Mm.

Milton Allimadi (10:41.399)
conglomeration of armies fighting against the Congolese had stood for the election as well. That's a very, very relevant point because it goes to the motive. It explains the motive. Are you telling me that, you know, here in the United States, let's say, Kamala loses the election and then she suddenly

Adesoji Iginla (10:48.267)
Yep.

Adesoji Iginla (10:53.719)
Hmm.

Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (11:07.86)
and then forms a rebel group.

Milton Allimadi (11:10.122)
supposedly leading a quote unquote rebel army coming in from Canada. That would not be a relevant point to bring out. That by the way, come on. Against Trump. It's amazing man. But thank you for bringing that up because once again it exposed this sinister media propaganda. Now let me see if there's any other point.

Adesoji Iginla (11:24.428)
Mm-hmm.

the

Mm.

Milton Allimadi (11:36.35)
Those are the key points. But you know what? think Rhonda's really playing with fire. It really is.

Adesoji Iginla (11:41.25)
I mean, as we go through the stories that we have lined up for today, you will see almost the recurring theme. And I don't want to expose the hand first. So we continue and we go to your favorite newspaper, the New York Times, who lead with what is M23? says Rwandan backed group fighting in Eastern Congo.

Milton Allimadi (11:55.392)
Okay.

Adesoji Iginla (12:10.752)
The militia seized the pivotal city of Goma, threatening a new humanitarian crisis in region that has suffered decades of fighting.

The story is filed by Ileane Peltier reporting from Dakar, Senegal. Okay, so which is good.

Milton Allimadi (12:27.776)
Okay, so first of all, I want to take issue with that number one. Why should somebody in Dakar, Senegal be reporting on anything happening around them? So what's the difference between me reporting it from here in Washington DC? What's the difference? He's not on the ground, you know, they shouldn't have that. At the very least, get even a freelancer to report from the region.

Adesoji Iginla (12:32.682)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (12:56.118)
and loco.

Milton Allimadi (12:56.295)
And you're the freelancer. If your guy doesn't want to fly, go out there because he has better things to do in Dakar or because he's afraid of going there, you know, this is an insult. You know, you would not file a story about a conflict between Ukraine and Russia by somebody in Dakar, Senegal, or somebody in Paris in France, right? That would not be acceptable.

Adesoji Iginla (13:17.589)
in the

Adesoji Iginla (13:23.094)
Yep.

Milton Allimadi (13:24.969)
So why do you do it for an African country? That's complete nonsense.

Adesoji Iginla (13:30.402)
Hmm. Okay. Interesting. Let's continue. some hundred, some 400,000 people have fled their homes in Eastern Congo as the rebels advance on Goma, according to the UN refugee agency. In the last few days, many have arrived in the city. So you don't know you're being told. M23 is funded directly by the government of Rwanda.

Milton Allimadi (13:34.483)
Mm-hmm.

Milton Allimadi (13:54.953)
drop.

Adesoji Iginla (13:59.298)
according to the United Nations and the United States. Rwanda denies any involvement with the group. The conflict has its roots in Rwanda's 1994 genocide, which spilled over the border into Congo, leading to decades of fighting. Like the leaders of Rwanda, M23 is made mostly of the people from the Tutsi ethnic group. You want to say a word or two?

Milton Allimadi (14:28.677)
I just want to say the allusion to the 1994 genocide. Okay, so let's say we're talking, what, 31 years now, right? So let's say there were fighters who were in their 20s, right? So you're telling me that Rwanda's army is fighting against people who are in their 50s now.

Adesoji Iginla (14:34.849)
Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (14:41.174)
Correct.

Adesoji Iginla (14:46.018)
Mm-hmm.

Milton Allimadi (14:57.811)
You know?

Adesoji Iginla (14:58.178)
You're too much of a skeptic.

Milton Allimadi (15:00.453)
No, really, because they keep cutting and pasting the same information from 30 years ago. At that time, obviously, it was much more relevant when Kagame had taken power in Rwanda and that military that it defeated had fled to the Congo. And yes, they were still fighting back, you see? That's 30 years ago. Those fighters were in their 20s, right? So you're telling me that those same fighters

Adesoji Iginla (15:06.024)
Mm-hmm. Yep.

Adesoji Iginla (15:22.742)
Correct.

Milton Allimadi (15:29.296)
who would now be in their 50s are still the ones that you're going after. You know, come on, man. So in terms of sequencing information, it's very critical to stories, right? They tend to bury the lead. The lead should be honest. But the reason why Rwanda is backing this conflict is because

Adesoji Iginla (15:40.322)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (15:44.873)
Yep.

Milton Allimadi (15:57.912)
it wants the minerals. This is widely known and clearly known to this New York Times reporter, even if he's in Dakar. There's information available, even if you're in Dakar, correct? There's information available that Rwanda exports $1 billion worth of minerals that it does not produce. It exports much more in terms of the value, but it burns for itself.

Adesoji Iginla (16:08.181)
You

Adesoji Iginla (16:13.228)
Correct, yet?

Adesoji Iginla (16:24.364)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (16:27.387)
1 billion. 1 billion US dollars based on resources plundered from the Congo. So you're telling me that's not something that you should be, by now we should know that by now? You are leading, instead you are leading with a story from 30 years ago. The Hutu militia who committed genocide in Rwanda. That is still the lead really, above

Adesoji Iginla (16:33.612)
Wow.

Adesoji Iginla (16:40.296)
be singing that by Hot. Yeah.

Milton Allimadi (16:57.498)
the $1 billion in plundered resources, plundered resources and the course of plundering without resources, people are being killed today, contemporary. And you are diminishing that in your story, you see? So we need to catch them. And the New York Times is not just any ordinary newspaper. It employs some of the best writers, some of the smartest people, some of the smartest editors.

Adesoji Iginla (17:05.482)
Yes. Yes. Yes.

Milton Allimadi (17:25.122)
So when they do that, it means they're also going along with the agenda, you know. It's not by accident.

Adesoji Iginla (17:29.725)
Mmm.

Could you also speak to the part where it says the M23 is funded and directed by the government of Rwanda? According to the United Nations and the United States, yet Rwanda denies any involvement with the group. So are they saying the United States information, which its eyes everywhere, is wrong?

Milton Allimadi (17:54.869)
No, there's nothing wrong with saying that Rwanda denies that, but you can add that the denial rings hollow, given the facts on the ground. He could easily add that. And they should add that in future if they're listening to our program right now.

Adesoji Iginla (17:59.404)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (18:08.693)
Yeah?

Adesoji Iginla (18:14.327)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (18:15.673)
Anybody can say anything. Not really. You can get caught with the money in your hands. You can say, no, no, I didn't steal it. And you can say he said he didn't steal it, even though he was holding the money.

Adesoji Iginla (18:17.954)
You

Adesoji Iginla (18:28.674)
Who's?

Milton Allimadi (18:32.524)
You know? So they should stop playing games with us. We are not going to tolerate it. We don't accept it. Because African lives are being exterminated. You know? So don't give us your nonsense.

Adesoji Iginla (18:37.736)
Mmm. Yep.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I continue. So what is M23? M23 is one of the hundred militias roaming the mineral-rich areas of the Eastern Congo.

Milton Allimadi (18:55.03)
No, it is not. And by saying that, it's also diminishing the fact that this is actually what could comprise, what essentially is Rwanda's army, you see? So by saying, the region is so chaotic, the 100 militias, this just happens to be one of them. You see? That's absolute nonsense. You have fish, and then you have a whale. A whale is a fish as well, correct?

Adesoji Iginla (18:58.231)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (19:22.934)
Correct, yeah.

Milton Allimadi (19:23.703)
But you can't say whale is one of the 99 other fishes. When the other 99 are tilapia and sardines, you know. Come on now. Don't play with us New York Times. We're smarter than that. Shame on you. I hope you don't repeat that analysis in your next article. No. You know, we know the tricks inside and out. And what we want is our listeners to learn how to expose their tricks as well.

Adesoji Iginla (19:27.915)
You

Adesoji Iginla (19:32.45)
Mmm

Adesoji Iginla (19:38.87)
Wow.

Adesoji Iginla (19:42.498)
You know what they will do.

Milton Allimadi (19:53.354)
so that they could share it with other listeners, can, other viewers. You can go and say, you know what? When they had the discussion on Adesuji Speaks, they pointed out that particular reference and cut and pasted and sent it to your compatriots so that all of us are teaching each other to know how to fight the enemies of Africa.

Adesoji Iginla (20:14.722)
So it continues. The group's name referred to its claim that Congolese government failed to honor an earlier peace agreement signed on March 23, 2009. The leaders of the M23 claimed that the group is in eastern Congo to protect fel-

Milton Allimadi (20:34.844)
Okay, let me also correct him again, as complete nonsense. And that's why I've that sentence before and let me deconstruct it for you.

Adesoji Iginla (20:38.658)
Okay. The group's name referred to its claim that the Congolese government failed to honor an earlier peace agreement signed on March 23, 2009.

Milton Allimadi (20:52.884)
Okay, so now, this is one of the most dishonest writers that we've been critiquing lately, right? It's claimed that the Congolese government blah, blah, blah, but you know what actually happened? They were integrated into the national army and they mutinied and abandoned and left. So for you to write its claim when you know its claim is not correct and then not to correct it that this is actually what happened, it shows you have an agenda.

Adesoji Iginla (21:04.65)
Yeah. It's an army.

Milton Allimadi (21:22.727)
This is very evil.

Milton Allimadi (21:26.758)
is very evil.

Adesoji Iginla (21:29.088)
Wow.

Milton Allimadi (21:30.054)
And we hope that the writer is listening. We won't allow him to repeat it in his next article. It goes back to the thief saying, I didn't steal it while holding the money. So yeah, no wonder it said, it did not say the group's name refers to the Congolese government's failure to honor an earlier peace agreement. Because he knows, the writer knows it was not the Congolese government that failed.

Adesoji Iginla (21:58.338)
The renegade,

Milton Allimadi (21:59.889)
So it goes with, it refers to its claim, even though the writer knows the claim is incorrect, but does not tell the reader.

That is very malicious.

Adesoji Iginla (22:11.562)
And yet in the paragraph before, he cited a researcher with 15 years experience in Eastern Congo who teaches at Utrecht University who said they pose more of a threat to Congo than any other armed group. She could have told you because that is exactly

Milton Allimadi (22:29.235)
She must have told him and he just probably did not use it and cropped the rest of the quote. No, no, no, really, I really know how to read the New York Times now.

Adesoji Iginla (22:38.722)
Hahaha

Adesoji Iginla (22:43.51)
You

Milton Allimadi (22:45.212)
But we know how to read newspapers generally, particularly Western media. If I did not know that M23 were the ones who abandoned that peace agreement, I would not be able to counter his propaganda. You see? I just knew it for a fact. That's why I know when he says it refers to his claim, I know that the claim is incorrect and I know the writer knows the claim is incorrect as well.

Adesoji Iginla (22:48.066)
True?

Adesoji Iginla (22:54.923)
were part of the art.

Milton Allimadi (23:14.287)
Otherwise, he would have said the group's name refers to the Congolese government not honoring, but he knows that the Congolese government actually did honor. man, these people are very wicked.

Adesoji Iginla (23:23.31)
no, yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (23:27.69)
Hmm. Okay. Okay. Continue. The leader of the M23 claimed the group is in eastern Congo to protect fellow Tutsis and other speakers of the Kiwanda

Milton Allimadi (23:39.205)
Very good. You see, okay, now let me give a clue to our viewers and listeners. Whenever he says claim, from now on, you know he's hiding something on behalf of the aggressors, right? When you see a pattern, every time he says claim, the reality is not the same. I just gave you the example when he claimed that the Congolese government did not honor that agreement, I just happened to know the facts, right? So now take

Adesoji Iginla (23:49.89)
Hahaha

Adesoji Iginla (23:54.71)
Yeah.

claim.

Milton Allimadi (24:08.875)
Anything that this writer uses claim to paraphrase, you know he's hiding something.

Adesoji Iginla (24:15.106)
So, but what would be his motivation though?

Milton Allimadi (24:19.121)
I mean, come on. I okay, right now we are living in a very dangerous time right now. Right now we have in the United States an administration that is backed by some of the wealthiest people in this country, right?

Adesoji Iginla (24:21.535)
Access.

Adesoji Iginla (24:25.506)
Okay.

Adesoji Iginla (24:33.398)
Correct. yep, yep.

Milton Allimadi (24:37.196)
It is not, I would not be shocked if some of the people who are supporting the administration are beneficiaries of some of the resources that are being stolen from the Congo and shipped via Rwanda, correct? That's one part of it. I would not be surprised if some of these individuals are very influential

Adesoji Iginla (24:45.023)
of interest.

Adesoji Iginla (24:57.088)
Yep, correct. Yep.

Milton Allimadi (25:05.11)
and read the New York Times. And I would not be surprised if some of the writers or editors of the New York Times are also aware that some of the influential people that are either associated with the New York Times or people that should not be exposed to embarrassment, whatever influence or connection. I would not be shocked if there is some association with the way the article is written.

Adesoji Iginla (25:34.06)
Mm-hmm.

Milton Allimadi (25:35.497)
and some beneficiaries of the stolen resources from the Corn Law. I don't have the evidence for direct tie-in, but I know generally nothing happens for nothing. That's what I'm willing to say.

Adesoji Iginla (25:48.578)
Because I mean, that's why I'm prompted to ask the question that what would be the motivation because again,

Milton Allimadi (25:55.791)
Nothing happens for nothing, but normally for good investigative reporters, for good investigators generally, for people who connect dots generally, when things are not adding up, that's where you get the incentive to do more research. So I'm saying something like this deserves more research.

Adesoji Iginla (26:21.448)
Okay. Okay. So I continue. The UN, the United Nations has repeatedly won against widespread hate speech against Tutsis in eastern Congo and said last year, offering justification and cover. Good.

Milton Allimadi (26:35.661)
Okay. Go ahead.

Milton Allimadi (26:40.875)
No, no, finish. Finish the sentence.

Adesoji Iginla (26:42.762)
Ok and the United Nations has repeatedly warned against widespread hate speech against Tutsis in Eastern Congo and said last year the risk of genocide and atrocity crimes in the region remains high.

Milton Allimadi (26:55.949)
Okay, so that may be 100 % true what the United Nations did, correct? But you're telling me that you're going to elevate that at a time when actual genocide is being committed.

Adesoji Iginla (27:01.59)
Okay. Okay. Okay.

Milton Allimadi (27:13.389)
by the Rwanda invasion and M23. Think about that.

Adesoji Iginla (27:20.098)
Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (27:21.102)
No, no, think about that. It's like, I don't even want to add on that anymore. Of course, of course, the same thing why we started off with the 1994 genocide, which everybody of course condemns, but they're trying to trap you into saying you can't analyze it. If you analyze it and you put it in context, you're somehow approving genocide. So that's what they're trying to trap you with that trick.

Adesoji Iginla (27:22.593)
Yeah.

Offering justification. Yeah, yeah. Offering cover. Cover and justification.

Adesoji Iginla (27:36.63)
Janus aahdia.

Adesoji Iginla (27:50.812)
Mmm. Mmm.

Milton Allimadi (27:50.881)
You see? Nobody could support hate speech, of course. We all denounce it. But at the same time, actual genocide is happening at this moment. You see?

Milton Allimadi (28:04.161)
So this writer is very disturbing, to be honest with you. His motives are very questionable.

Adesoji Iginla (28:17.378)
Hmm.

Wow. The power of words, isn't it? This is the power of words.

Milton Allimadi (28:22.028)
Yes.

Absolutely. The power of words. And that is why we can't read.

blindly. We cannot.

Milton Allimadi (28:35.529)
We can't. We can't afford to.

Milton Allimadi (28:42.099)
And obviously, Congolese on the ground in Goma, the surrounding areas who are being exterminated right now, they're not in position.

to critique this guy who is sitting in some comfortable location in Dakar and writing this without any thought for the impact of his words on the situation on ground because obviously,

Adesoji Iginla (28:57.74)
Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Adesoji Iginla (29:15.639)
Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (29:20.882)
The words are very critical. It impacts the situation on the ground. And I'll give you another example.

Last week,

When, before Goma had been ceased, I was following the headlines of the New York Times, of the Washington Post, CNN, BBC, Reuters, and AP, and Al Jazeera, who were providing most of the major coverage.

Adesoji Iginla (29:56.556)
coverage.

Milton Allimadi (30:00.534)
and the BBC.

And I think it was either AP or Reuters and Al Jazeera. And most of them kept referring to M23 rebels in the headlines, M23 rebels, right? Particularly the BBC. Even after the U.S. Secretary General, Aguteres, had directly called out Rwanda. So I started tweeting and referring to the BBC as the Ministry of Propaganda.

Adesoji Iginla (30:09.442)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (30:29.89)
Yep.

Milton Allimadi (30:36.502)
still refining exclusively to M23. I tagged, you know, on X I would also tag Gutierrez and his spokesperson, and Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, and Sadak, our Secretariat, as well as Rama Fossa.

Adesoji Iginla (30:39.714)
M23 as a rebel group.

Milton Allimadi (31:05.615)
the president of South Africa. I did that for three days in a row.

Adesoji Iginla (31:06.912)
of South Africa.

Milton Allimadi (31:12.578)
On the fourth day, the BBC had a headline for the first time linking M23 to Rwanda. So what am I saying? I'm saying to viewers, I'm saying to listeners, start doing that. Call them out. In the modern technology era, you don't have to be a massive media organization.

Adesoji Iginla (31:24.738)
You

Adesoji Iginla (31:29.376)
You can do it.

Milton Allimadi (31:42.519)
You don't have to have an organization with hundreds of thousands of followers. You just have to know how to counter that and keep questioning the BBC. Why are you constantly just talking to M23 about M23 in your headlines? And you're not mentioning the fact that this is essentially a Rwanda proxy army. And then contrast with other headlines. that time, most of the other outlets were now directly saying,

Adesoji Iginla (32:05.132)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (32:12.759)
Rwanda linked M23 or Rwanda banked M23. And you can take those other headlines from other media and take the images and put them next to the BBC one. And of course, make sure you also put at BBC so that the BBC is also reading those tweets, you see, and then tag the other officials that I just named. The US Secretary General, the US Secretary General spokesperson and the US Secretary of State Sadat

Adesoji Iginla (32:30.166)
way.

Milton Allimadi (32:41.855)
Ramaphosa and anybody else that you feel is a relevant player that needs to see you exposing the BBC.

Adesoji Iginla (32:51.788)
Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (32:52.556)
And I noticed after that that the New York Times has been much more consistent as well, of making sure that the headline as M23, Rwanda back in the headline, not buried somewhere in the story. And that is very critical for the world to know.

Adesoji Iginla (33:00.254)
reflects.

Adesoji Iginla (33:09.65)
important important you are the guardians of truth with your yeah so i will just read one final part now on the question of who is backing the m23 the m23 is under the military command of sultani makanga a congolese rebel who fought in ruanda in the 1990s joined the congolese army in the 2000s

Milton Allimadi (33:15.763)
We have to be, all of us.

Adesoji Iginla (33:39.84)
and then defected to join M23 in 2012. The same story you just said earlier, with regards to when the peace deal was signed, they joined the Congolese army and then defected.

Milton Allimadi (33:50.731)
Correct. Right.

Milton Allimadi (33:56.65)
And yet after he wrote that, he didn't think it was relevant for him to go back and take out that claim. The reason why the peace deal collapsed is amazing. As I said earlier, after we read the critique, the first article, they're so bad at lying that they leave the evidence of their lives within the same story that they're writing. You see? Now you're telling us clearly that he abandoned.

Adesoji Iginla (34:00.53)
Vant.

Adesoji Iginla (34:05.183)
Yes.

Adesoji Iginla (34:10.401)
Mm.

Yep.

Adesoji Iginla (34:24.674)
Hahaha!

Milton Allimadi (34:25.674)
their agreement, but earlier on you're saying they claimed it was the communist government that did not deliver. I rest my case, we have destroyed this article using his own words, you know.

Adesoji Iginla (34:33.996)
So which is...

Adesoji Iginla (34:41.442)
You

Adesoji Iginla (34:45.581)
Ha ha!

Milton Allimadi (34:48.029)
Amazing.

Adesoji Iginla (34:48.426)
Well, I'll just take one last, just take one last. Go on.

Milton Allimadi (34:50.858)
And here's the embarrassing thing. You know, the New York Times hires mostly from Harvard, from Princeton, from Yale, right? Columbia, and yet they're telling me that they cannot do a better job in propaganda. Come on now.

Adesoji Iginla (34:59.234)
Colombia

Adesoji Iginla (35:11.01)
Mmm.

Mmm.

Milton Allimadi (35:16.072)
I hope they learn because we are not saying these things because we have any personal animus towards them. No, we're saying this because we want to force them to do the right thing. So avoid repeating this propaganda approach in your next article is all I can tell through this. Otherwise, we will continue to critique and expose you.

Adesoji Iginla (35:23.304)
Of course not, of course not.

Adesoji Iginla (35:27.99)
Yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (35:33.89)
I mean, they say, they say.

They also say, you know, newspapers are the first draft of history. The keyword being the first draft. But if you cannot then correct what you didn't get right in the first piece, and then you continue, then we know it's intentional. Then we know you're

Milton Allimadi (35:44.937)
Absolutely. Right.

Milton Allimadi (35:57.194)
Right. And then other researchers are going to come and continue the distortion when they do research and they read you 10 years from now, 20 years from now.

Adesoji Iginla (36:06.912)
Hmm, thinking, you know, I just captured this last bit here. Mr. Mackenga receives instruction and support from the Rwandan army and from Rwandan intelligence services, according to United States, United Nations experts and Congolese and Western intelligence agencies.

Milton Allimadi (36:27.962)
Okay, so the other issue I would say now is readers and listeners and viewers, should this not be one of the first sentences in his article? Should that not have been the case? Right? Instead is buried toward the end of the story. But much earlier, we are reading about M23, alleged that the Congolese government did not honor an agreement. We read that much earlier, right?

Adesoji Iginla (36:33.099)
You

Adesoji Iginla (36:54.247)
Mm. Yes.

Milton Allimadi (36:56.263)
We read much earlier about the UN talking about hate speech, right? We read much earlier about the 1994 genocide, right? Which of course was horrific 31 years ago. But something that's happening now and the fact that now as we speak, U.S. intelligence and the UN, and by the way, the U.S. actually supports the Rwanda government.

Adesoji Iginla (37:00.684)
Yes.

Adesoji Iginla (37:06.016)
genocide. Yeah. Yeah.

Adesoji Iginla (37:11.274)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (37:25.218)
Exactly. And they're calling you out.

Milton Allimadi (37:25.99)
And at the same time, they're pointing them out at the same time. And you're burying this in your article? Come on now. You have an agenda. You're not a good person, I'm sorry to say.

Adesoji Iginla (37:37.346)
Hmm. Wow. Speaking of calling out, we go to the next story, which comes from The Guardian. And it's that France seeks UN resolutions naming Rwanda as the backer of the M23 in DRC.

Milton Allimadi (37:48.273)
Yes.

Adesoji Iginla (37:58.722)
And the first lead says M23 Lightning advance into East DRC being supported by up to 4,000 Rwandan troops said UN officials. You notice we didn't see any of this in the previous stories we read. France is seeking Western support for a UN security resolution that names Rwanda as being behind the M23 rebel group attacks inside the Democratic Republic of Congo, including the Surprise Weekend seizure.

Milton Allimadi (38:14.021)
No.

Adesoji Iginla (38:28.586)
or part of Goma, we now know it's been seized, the largest city in eastern DRC. UN officials have said as many as 4,000 Rwandan troops were escorting the M23 rebels. The UN Secretary General, Anthony Guterres, on Sunday called on the Rwandan defense forces to stop supporting the M23 and to withdraw from the territory of the DRC. It was his clearest statement of Rwanda's responsibility for much of the violence.

Milton Allimadi (38:58.786)
Okay, so you don't have to be in New York City, right, where the UN is located to have access to this information, correct? Guterres does not come and stand on the lobby and make the statement to only people who are within listening distance, correct? This information is widely available to even people on the ground in Guam. So this information was available to the New York Times

Adesoji Iginla (39:10.498)
Correct.

Adesoji Iginla (39:18.956)
Correct, yeah?

Hmm.

Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (39:27.8)
right as well. So why did he not frame his story the way the Guardian did? Because the Guardian is supported and funded by readers. The Guardian does not have a corporate interest in whatever is going on in the region, you see? And that goes back to what I said earlier. I said I don't have the evidence.

Adesoji Iginla (39:33.975)
Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (39:40.192)
readers.

Adesoji Iginla (39:48.0)
Correct?

Milton Allimadi (39:55.654)
But the way that article in New York Times is framed, it seems there might be some connection with some entity that is benefiting from the resources coming out of the Congo illegally through Rwanda. I said I would not be surprised, but I don't have any evidence. But I also said nothing happens for nothing. And now when I read The Guardian, and I see that they're framing it the correct way,

Adesoji Iginla (40:11.701)
Hmm

Milton Allimadi (40:25.817)
without massaging, without burying the lead, now my suspicion is even much more deeper that there's some agenda involved in the way the New York Times is shaping this same story.

Adesoji Iginla (40:36.61)
Hmm

Adesoji Iginla (40:42.536)
Okay, let's continue. the French ambassador at the UN, Nicolas de Vere, urged the UN Secretary of Security Council to say Rwanda's actions were a grave threat to regional peace and security. He said it was time to call a cat a cat, a reference to the way in which the international community for different reasons have scattered around the issue of Rwanda's role

in arming the M23. Britain

Milton Allimadi (41:13.334)
Okay, I like that. I like that the way you phrased it, you know. If the international community is, you know, meandering around, it is not obligatory for the New York Times to also meander around. No, it is not.

Adesoji Iginla (41:32.577)
So what you're saying is the New York Times is right.

Milton Allimadi (41:36.065)
Just because governments are meandering around, dancing around the graves of dead Congolese, the New York Times is not obligated to also dance around the graves of dead Congolese. That's not the mission of a newspaper or a media outlet. You do your role and let the government do their propaganda if they want.

Adesoji Iginla (41:42.946)
Mmm.

Adesoji Iginla (41:53.131)
Mm. Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (41:57.589)
Wow.

Continue. The Britain and the US in their intervention at the UN on Sunday also called Rwanda an orged Kagame to pull back. It goes on to say Britain, France, and the US have been reluctant to impose sanctions on Kagame. Why would you think that's the case?

Milton Allimadi (42:23.65)
I'm not going to say it, there are commercial interests involved. There are many commercial interests.

Adesoji Iginla (42:23.66)
Do you ca-

Yes. The UK became dependent on Rwanda's goodwill when it signed an agreement for Rwanda to accept asylum seekers but the scheme collapsed in the face of legal and political objections. France has been grateful to Rwanda for policing the Central African Republic and Mali, both former French colonies. The EU, now I didn't know that, they were in Mali?

Milton Allimadi (42:54.496)
That's news to me.

Adesoji Iginla (42:55.852)
That's interesting.

Milton Allimadi (42:57.824)
I knew there was a Central African Republic.

Adesoji Iginla (43:00.318)
Yeah, I knew the words. Exactly. I mean, wow, okay. You see what comes out when... So, both former French colonies, the EU in 2023 signed a mineral pact with Rwanda. The US has rarely seen Africa as a diplomatic priority and one of the first steps of his new president Donald Trump was to freeze all aid to the continent. Yet, Rwanda would be vulnerable to a coordinated aid withdrawal.

since a third of Rwanda's budget is dependent on overseas aid.

Milton Allimadi (43:36.296)
Yes. Well, there's not much to add there. It shows you indeed the only way Rwanda can continue its war of aggression on the Congo is if there is foreign acquiescence and support.

Adesoji Iginla (43:36.674)
What do you say to that?

Adesoji Iginla (43:53.482)
and then you

Milton Allimadi (43:53.801)
So to the extent that we see the aggression continue in the Congo, it also means that foreign acquiescence is also continuing. You can't have it both ways, you know?

Adesoji Iginla (43:57.441)
Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (44:04.583)
Mm. Mm. And it's also, it's almost a signal that Rwanda is getting desperate. And in order to, for stall, losing access to said aid, it needs to look for alternative sources of resources. so what, go on.

Milton Allimadi (44:28.307)
Well, well, that's not the ideal way to get it by having a permanent state of war in the region. You can't have that. And failing, having a permanent state of war, say Plan B, that's annex the region. You can't have that either because there will be war of annexations all over the African continent. You know?

Adesoji Iginla (44:38.754)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (44:55.424)
Mmm. Mmm.

Milton Allimadi (44:56.817)
many, many African, every African country has a border issue, right? We are all for a borderless Africa, but it has to be done by agreements of the African peoples. And that can be done, and that is in fact what philosophically I believe in. It must happen. There should be a borderless Africa. But this is not the way to do it, by killing other Africans and stealing their resources. That's not acceptable.

Adesoji Iginla (45:09.696)
neutral agreement. Yeah, neutral agreement.

Adesoji Iginla (45:25.664)
Hmm. Okay, that's it. One final part. Where is it? Yes. It's that William Ruto, the president of Kenya, is seeking to fill the diplomatic vacuum by calling an extraordinary summit of the East African community, which he chairs within 48 hours on Monday, which is last Monday. He insisted that the DRC president, President Tiskeri, and Kagame would attend, but there has been no confirmation of this. Some nations,

Notably, Russia and China, as well as the African nations holding rotating seats on the Security Council, are content to issue generalized call for restraint. Russia said the dispute is rooted in colonialism, a comprehensive critique it provides to analyze most Western actions in Africa. However, one final thought, the DRC Foreign Minister, Terese Kiyawama, Wagner,

rejected any history lessons, insisted instead favoring the UN imposing sweeping economic and political sanctions on Kagame, including on oiled Rwanda labeled minerals, which she accused Rwanda of a declaration of war and no longer hiding under diplomatic maneuvers, adding that it was clear that this crisis is directly linked to the economic plunder of our country by Rwanda.

Over to you.

Milton Allimadi (46:50.489)
I it's going to be very difficult for Rwanda to get away with this because I remember Congo is a part of that deal with the Benguela railway and all that. Congo is much much more valuable to Rwanda than to the US than Rwanda is really. Rwanda the

Adesoji Iginla (46:55.202)
Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (47:02.934)
Yeah, and Lobito.

Milton Allimadi (47:19.869)
concern would be humanitarian catastrophe. concern would be that if there's a counter an empty pen and the proxy army M23 is pushed back into Rwanda, it might cause some conflagration within Rwanda itself. So that's obviously a concern and nobody wants to see that. But in terms of economically and of course we know this

the new US President Trump, responds to money. And his advisors, you know, convince him that, these resources that Congo has on the other side, right, not Eastern Congo, are much more vital to our national security. So we need to support the government of the Congo wholeheartedly. That, course, that's going to be very bad news for Kagame. So perhaps it would be best to actually

Adesoji Iginla (48:04.436)
Valium.

Adesoji Iginla (48:15.937)
Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (48:19.29)
for some mechanism for a much more orderly withdrawal to occur rather than a withdrawal that is done by force, which would just escalate everything. And nobody wants to see that. So the next week is going to be critical going forward. The withdrawal should not be imposed militarily. So we hope it doesn't come to that because that would not be.

the best solution Diplomatic solution is still best but it's hard to see how She said Katie's hands are not tied If you're talking about all we're going to much you can chance. They're going to much you can chance That might put pressure on him his own colleagues might say wait. Why are you talking to people that say they want to much you can chance? You know and could imperil his own political position so

Adesoji Iginla (48:52.726)
Okay.

Adesoji Iginla (49:06.466)
You

Adesoji Iginla (49:15.874)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (49:19.852)
True,

Milton Allimadi (49:21.115)
It's all, it's all, it's bad everywhere. Let's put it that way.

Adesoji Iginla (49:25.536)
Wow. Speaking of.

Milton Allimadi (49:27.694)
And it's also very bad when any major media outlet try to give the impression that this aggression should be condoned and accepted. That's not right.

Adesoji Iginla (49:39.71)
OK, so speaking of the fact that media organizations should balk at the idea of someone consolidating territory, we go to our last and final story, again, to your new magazine of choice, The Economist. So Rwanda's gone.

Milton Allimadi (50:01.506)
But surprisingly, I would like to say something actually. Surprisingly, the economists the last few weeks have actually been much better than the BBC. yeah, when you read the economists and you contrast the BBC, then you see the clear propaganda of the BBC, know? And the economy is supposed to be the Bible of money. But even the economists knows that nowadays you cannot justify

Adesoji Iginla (50:05.825)
Yeah.

I've been

you

Adesoji Iginla (50:19.102)
of the BBC. I mean, BBC is...

Milton Allimadi (50:29.848)
know, economic prosperity based on plan that maybe in the 19th century during colonialism.

Adesoji Iginla (50:35.05)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I'll read. It's headline, Rwanda's reckless plan to redraw the map of Africa. The fall of Goma could trigger another Congo conflict. The residents of Goma are no strangers to war. The largest city in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, has long been a refuge for those fleeing

from violence elsewhere in one of the world's most blood-soaked regions, where more than 100 groups, these more than 100 groups compete for land, loot, and political influence. On January 26th, the most sophisticated of these militias, a group known as M23, brought war to the city itself. Its apparent seizure of Goma, the culmination of more than two years of resurgent violence,

by the previously dominant group illustrate the enduring weakness of the Congolese state. It is also a sign that M23's patron, Rwanda, may be willing to use its strength to redraw the map of the region and in so doing risk another catastrophic war.

Milton Allimadi (51:51.702)
Okay, very good. So now I like this. You know why I like this in particular? For viewers who have been attentive, listeners who are attentive.

Adesoji Iginla (51:55.138)
Yeah.

Milton Allimadi (52:02.544)
Now, we learn, and let's say we had read this article first before the New York Times. We would learn that this M23 proxy army is one of a hundred other militias, correct? But here, we are told by the economists that the others are Sardin and Tilapia.

Adesoji Iginla (52:10.314)
I wasn't gonna do that to you.

Adesoji Iginla (52:22.07)
Correct, yep.

Milton Allimadi (52:31.984)
M23 is a whale. Why? Because we're informed that it's the patron of the Rwandan state. So you see the difference with how you can use the same information? But in the New York Times reference, it made it appear as this is just 100 of, you know, 100 other bandits that are out there. Nothing special about this particular bandit.

Adesoji Iginla (52:39.645)
And yep.

Hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (52:57.196)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (52:59.763)
in the reference used in the New York Times, using that same 100 malicious thing.

Adesoji Iginla (53:05.942)
Yes, yes.

Milton Allimadi (53:06.675)
And that's the difference. The same information can be used.

for my lying intentions sometimes.

And that's why you should read many media outlets because then you can contrast. You will not be able to contrast or compare if you only read the New York Times or if you only read The Economist. But if you have time to read just three, read the New York Times, read The Guardian, read The Economist, and then look how same information is constructed.

how the story is framed and how the narrative progresses, you see.

Adesoji Iginla (53:49.242)
Hmm

Yeah, yeah, Yes. I'll continue. The origins of event in Goma go back decades between 1996 and 2003, Rwanda and other regional powers fought over the spoils left by the dictatorship of Mobutu Seseseko who misruled Congo, which he renamed Zaire from 1965 until 1997.

Do want to give them a backstory on that please?

Milton Allimadi (54:25.637)
Well, I mean, hopefully most of you as listeners know that Mobutu, of course, was the corrupt tyrant who was installed by the West, by Belgium, by the United States, by Britain, supported by all of them during his tyranny. He was the murderer of Patrice Lumumba, overthrew Lumumba with CIA support, of course.

in 1960 and then had him exterminated brutally by Bois Xombe in January 1961. Xombe, of course, was supported and financed by Belgium and he declared Katanga, the mineral rich region, as a separate state and ignited the chaos that the Congo actually is still going through today.

Adesoji Iginla (55:04.054)
Mm.

Adesoji Iginla (55:22.828)
True, to today, correct. Thank you.

Milton Allimadi (55:24.281)
But obviously that was part two of the chaos. Part one of the chaos was when Belgian terrorism against the people of the Congo started with King Leopold in the 1880s until it was so horrific, so murderous that the Belgian state took away the Congo Free State and made it an official Belgian colony that lasted until 1960. So that is the backstory.

Adesoji Iginla (55:36.294)
Mm. Yep.

Adesoji Iginla (55:53.92)
Yes, thank you very much. that's a short history lesson on the Congo that you probably won't get anywhere else whilst you're reading the newspaper and magazine. If this is your first time here, do like, share, subscribe. And also just to inform you, if you want the audio version of this conversation, you can download it wherever you get your

on all major podcast platforms. And I'll continue. So it goes on. The most important proxy has been M23, which takes its name from the moral bound peace deal signed on May, March 23, 2009 between a previously Tutsi-led group and the Congolese government. In 2012, M23 briefly seized Goma for the first time before being defeated by UN peacekeepers. The groups

re-emerged in late 2022 after an attempt by Felix Tisikedi, Congolese president, to reconfigure regional alliances in a way that could have sidelined Rwanda. Over the past two years, it has committed multiple atrocities, including mass assay and murder, while seizing territory across North Kivu and the province of which Goma is the capital.

Milton Allimadi (57:22.336)
And also the same information about the atrocities is also available to anyone in Dakar, especially in the York Times correspondent. We can't let them off the hook. We have to keep reminding them, making it difficult for them to propagate the propaganda because Africans are going to be pushing back.

Adesoji Iginla (57:22.55)
I just read

Mm-hmm.

Adesoji Iginla (57:43.284)
Hmm, yes, at least on this channel we're going to be doing that most of the time. And so, the final piece. The fall of Goma underlines the failure of Mr. Tisikedi's pledge upon taking office in 2019 to bring peace and order to eastern Congo. The latest attempt at peace talks intended to stem M23's advance brokered by Angola fell apart in December. The Congolese army is corrupt and incompetent.

After much of his defensive line collapsed on January 26th, grim-faced soldiers have been driving around in jeeps in the centre of town looking for ways out of the city. Multilateral efforts have fared little better. The 14,000 UN peacekeepers, known by the acronym MONUSCO, has been undermined by their own track records. They have struggled to keep peace and several blue helmets has also been accused of SA as well as Congolese vacillation.

about whether or not their mandate could be extended, which it ultimately was for a further year in December of 2024. Could you speak to, one, the issue of the UN being in Congo, two, the fact that according to reports, they were supposed to have left based on what Mr. Tiskedi said?

that he gave them a year or so to live. And that was, so that would be the end of 2025. And anything else that springs to you, springs to mind.

Milton Allimadi (59:17.32)
Mm.

Milton Allimadi (59:22.694)
Well, I would like to focus on Shiketit actually. And I I would like to say this is a colossal failure in national leadership. Congo has resources and Congo has been exporting from the side that is under his control. How is the national resources being deployed?

Adesoji Iginla (59:26.421)
OK.

Adesoji Iginla (59:33.216)
Hmm. Okay.

Milton Allimadi (59:53.171)
when you know you have a security crisis in eastern Congo that could undermine the viability of the entire Congolese state. Why do you not have a professional army that is capable of fighting?

That is a question that the Congolese people need to examine very carefully. Yes, Rwanda is supported by the West, trained by the West, equipped by the West, but there's no arms embargo against the Congolese. So why have you not been able to develop a sufficient national army as well? That is a question that is worth pondering.

Because the way your armed forces just melted on the front line, that's the reason for a serious concern.

So it looks like, as we speak right now, his armed forces does not have the capacity to counter attack. Otherwise, it would have already counter attacked by now. So if it's going to be any military shift, it's probably going to be assisted by the foreign intervention armed forces. would take South Africa probably reinforcing

Adesoji Iginla (01:00:59.394)
defend the country.

Milton Allimadi (01:01:22.086)
its forces there and it will probably take an army like Angola, which of course has a very capable armed forces as well.

But you're telling me that you're in your second term now. You have not asked any of these intervention forces to train your own capacity and elevate your own capacity. These are questions that need to be asked as well. The internal failures, even while we focus on the external unwanted intervention. The Congolese people are to be very

honest and also ask these questions of themselves. Why is our government such a failure? You know, are they focusing on other things except national security? You know?

No other priorities, just enrichment. You know.

Adesoji Iginla (01:02:22.07)
Yeah.

Milton Allimadi (01:02:25.061)
And if that is the case, why should they be rewarded?

You see, you can't have external and internal enemies at the same time. The Congolese people don't deserve that, you know.

Adesoji Iginla (01:02:42.284)
And speaking of the, excuse me, speaking of the Congolese people, ever since the episode you mentioned earlier, Leopold being there in the 1800s, that country has been hemorrhaging people on a catastrophic scale.

Milton Allimadi (01:02:58.596)
Yeah, it must end and it must end once and for all.

Adesoji Iginla (01:03:03.208)
on a catastrophe scale.

Milton Allimadi (01:03:05.4)
It must end.

Adesoji Iginla (01:03:08.438)
You know, yeah. And yes, speaking of ending, we've come to the end of another episode. And again, I have to thank Comrade Milton for coming through, giving us his incredible insights into how the narratives are framed about us, to us.

Milton Allimadi (01:03:09.552)
It must end.

Adesoji Iginla (01:03:35.494)
And it's also important that we be able to discern, you know, hopefully this episode has contributed to growing that muscle. And it's also imperative that we exercise said critical thinking muscle in other, because like you said earlier, we live in dangerous times and information is critical, whether you get it or how you digest it is important. So.

Milton Allimadi (01:03:55.49)
Hmm.

Milton Allimadi (01:04:00.077)
Absolutely.

Absolutely.

Adesoji Iginla (01:04:05.45)
Red Milton, last words?

Milton Allimadi (01:04:09.282)
Aluta Continua. We need good victories. We need peace in Africa so that we can use our resources, industrialize, and within 10, 15 years transform the entire continent.

Adesoji Iginla (01:04:22.698)
And for me, it's important that we underscore the fact that not only should we concern ourselves with said resources, but the welfare and wellbeing of the people. It's imperative. 1.3 billion people have suffered enough. They've suffered enough. Simply because of imperialistic ambitions and you know, yeah. Yes, yes, they've suffered enough.

Milton Allimadi (01:04:36.13)
Yes, sir.

Milton Allimadi (01:04:45.687)
incompetently.

Adesoji Iginla (01:04:49.652)
And yes, thank you everyone for coming through. Again, like I said, if you want the audio version of this podcast, you can download it on all major platforms, podcast platforms on Monday, which is tomorrow inside of the world. And thank you for coming through and until next time, good evening for now. evening.