The War of Perpetual Conflict
The idea that war is not meant to be won but to be continuous echoes the dystopian themes found in George Orwell’s 1984. This concept finds a chilling real-world parallel in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where political and economic exploitation has turned conflict into a tool for maintaining power. On July 8th, a corruption complaint was filed with Belgian federal prosecutor Ann Fransen, targeting nine members of the Tshisekedi family. The allegations revolve around systematic pillaging of mining sites in Haut-Katanga and Lualaba provinces. The complaint was submitted by Katangese NGOs and four former Gécamines directors, who claim that tens of millions of euros are being siphoned monthly from state coffers by the presidential family and their associates.
Gécamines, the state-owned mining company in Katanga, is at the center of this scandal. The stolen funds flow through Saudi Arabia and Mauritius for money laundering, with millions of dollars as the standard unit of theft. This corruption is deeply tied to what Congolese people refer to as "Genocaust," a term describing their systemic suffering. While Kinshasa has blamed Rwanda for this Genocaust, the evidence points to the DRC's own power brokers. These individuals have historically used conflict in the east as a means to deflect blame and consolidate political power.
A Pattern of Manipulation and Deception
Three days after the DR Congo and Rwanda signed the Washington peace agreement, Tshisekedi's army launched drones over Minembwe, destroying a civilian aircraft carrying humanitarian aid. Sixty thousand troops were deployed, and foreign mercenaries—Colombian, Romanian, and others—were welcomed back. The government then resumed its usual tactic: pretending the FDLR didn’t exist. Peace was signed, and soon after, bombs fell.
For Tshisekedi, war isn't a failure—it's the only thing that works. The Brussels complaint reveals why: illegal mining exploitation brings colossal sums to the presidential family and their criminal enterprise. War provides the perfect cover for this systematic theft, keeping the population distracted while billions disappear.
Four years ago, Tshisekedi faced a crisis: he lacked legitimacy, popularity, and performance. To address this, he partnered with the FDLR, remnants of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. He armed them, integrated them into his army, and allowed them to continue their reign of terror in eastern Congo. He knew the consequences: Rwanda would defend itself, M23 would re-emerge to protect their communities, and when they did, Tshisekedi could simply blame them.
This wasn’t just manipulation—it was criminally irresponsible. Instead of confronting the reality of his actions, Tshisekedi resorted to storytelling. He helped his people sleep through the injustice of corrupt leadership by painting Rwanda as the enemy. By spreading these accusations, he redirected public attention away from the massive corruption within his administration.
The System of Control and Suppression
The authors of these pillages have infiltrated all levels of the state apparatus, neutralizing justice and law enforcement. This makes local prosecution nearly impossible. Those who dare to speak out face a real hunt conducted by military and security agents, primarily from Kasaï, Tshisekedi's home province.
Tshisekedi needs perpetual war because Rwanda sits next door—a country that is clean, functional, and forward-looking. It serves as a daily reminder of what leadership can look like, which is a threat to a system where the presidential family has turned the state into a criminal enterprise.
FDLR became Tshisekedi's final ingredient for maintaining power. He arms and integrates these foreign aggressors—the real and only foreign aggressors in the east—and then turns around and blames Rwanda for the very insecurity he orchestrates. By repeating this narrative often enough, Rwanda becomes the problem, not the corruption or the systematic plundering of DRC’s wealth.
The Cost of Silence and Inaction
When the Congolese people cried "Genocaust," they were naming a system that traded their blood for someone else’s billion-dollar technology. A system where tens of millions of euros are diverted from state coffers monthly while the population suffers. A system centered around Tshisekedi.
The Washington peace agreement was supposed to change everything. Instead, it revealed everything. Within days, Tshisekedi showed his true priorities: not peace, but the preservation of a system that has made his family rich while his people suffer.
The Brussels complaint isn't just about stolen money—it's about stolen lives. Every dollar laundered through Saudi Arabia and Mauritius represents a school that won't be built, a hospital that won't open, and a life that won't be saved. This war was never about the people of the DRC—it was about power, profit, and performance.
But the paper trail doesn’t lie. The evidence is clear about who, what, and where. When these people leave power, what was stolen can be recovered. And neither do the bombs that fell three days after peace was signed.
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