The spokesperson for the Congolese National Police (PNC), Senior Senior Commissioner Pierrot Mwana Mputu, confirmed the national opinion that the stay of the Commissioner General of the Police, Dieudonné Amuli Bahigwa, in Rwanda was not intended to bring the Rwandan police to Congolese soil.

According to him, his trip is part of the Committee of Chiefs of Police of East African Countries (EAPCCO) headquartered in Nairobi and of which the DRC assumes the presidency.

In accordance with the resolutions of the EAPCCO, it is planned to set up the extensions of the liaison offices which will begin to collaborate. The objective is to fight terrorism and cross-border crime by handing over from police to police.

“After Nairobi, Commissioner Dieudonné Amuli Bahigwa flew with his delegation to  Rwanda. The first mission was to follow up on the resolutions that were taken at the level of the 23rd General Assembly of East African Police Chiefs and then proceed to the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the Rwandan police and the Congolese police on a bilateral basis.

This  is  because along the border, there has been  cross-border and transnational organized crime and terrorism hence the need to collaborate with the two police forces along the borders. In view of this, there  is a procedure of handing over from police to police which will bring  wanted criminals to book in accordance to  the criminal acts in the Democratic Republic of Congo .”We are not authorized to prosecute criminals on the other side of the border but with the police-to-police agreements with the memorandum of understanding in place, it will be made possible with extradition procedure.

“In this case, there was no question of the Rwandan police coming to us. To do what concretely? To come and secure the populations who are with us? No, it is this agreement of handing over from police to police, it is in this way that it was made. It was decided at the 23rd Assembly of Police Chiefs that as there will be the Counterterrorism Center of Excellence, a regional center of excellence based in Nairobi, there must be extensions, liaison offices across the 14 member countries. And we were interested.

In this office of analysis, exploitation of data and evaluation of terrorism data exclusively, only police officers from the DRC will be assisted by members of the technical secretariat of the EAPCCO. Who is the President? Our general commissioner, but why do you think that in our country we do not have officers capable of doing this work? “.

However, he acknowledges that there is a statement from the Rwandan police which stated that there would be agreement to form a joint unit of the Rwandan police and the Congolese police in Goma. He does not know whether it is bad faith, but Mwana Mputu reassures that it was out of the question.

“It’s true, that there is a press release, that we have to tell ourselves, which was published by the Rwandan police saying that during the stay of the Commissioner General, they agreed among other things that we can form a joint unit of the Rwandan police and the Congolese police to come to us but fortunately when they have done something good, we do not leave traces but if you read the press very well we will tell you a special police unit to collect the data Does a special police force in operation collect the data? No, and therefore we are not saying that there was bad faith but we are only saying that it was not said, it was not done and no one will be able to accept in this period that we do not do our job. so really take away in your idea, ”he recommended.

For him, it is people of ill will who are behind this situation to manipulate the population.

“… I’m telling you that today, there are no Rwandan police officers here in our home. But how are they going to come? I followed, I was sent a sound, someone said: I am at the great barrier, I am seeing them come in, I have seen them. That man was behind the curtains doing things like that, that’s what set the powder on fire. People like that like His Excellency had just said, they were wrong. North Kivu and Ituri are in a state of siege, I am sorry, those who are at the base of this manipulation will answer for their actions, ”said the spokesman for the Congolese National Police (PNC).

Strong tension was observed Monday, December 20 in several places in the city of Goma, capital of North Kivu. At the base, demonstrations of angry young people who say they are protesting against the arrival “of the Rwandan police in Goma to ensure security”.

Barricades were erected on several road arteries thus blocking traffic. where elements of the police and the FARDC use warning shots and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. The situation is confused in the northern part of Goma and in part of the Nyiragongo territory.

David Muganzo