Kuri iyi tariki ya 25 Ukuboza 2025, Umugaba Mukuru w’Ingabo za AFC/M23, Gen. Sultani Emmanuel Makenga, yujuje imyaka 52 amaze avutse.
Ubuzima bw’uyu musirikare bwatangiye kuri Noheli ya 1973, ubwo yavukiraga i Nyanzale muri Teritwari ya Masisi nk’uko yagiye abivuga.
Makenga yataye ishuri ku myaka 17 ajya mu mutwe w’inyeshyamba wa Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF – Inkotanyi), Abanyarwanda bari impunzi barwaniraga guhagarika ihohoterwa ku batutsi mu Rwanda, gutahuka ku bahunze, n’uburenganzira, mu gihe icyo gihe mu Rwanda ubutegetsi bwari bufitwe ahanini n’Abahutu.
Mu gihe cy’imyaka, FPR yarwanye n’ingabo za leta y’u Rwanda, zitsindwa mu 1994 ubwo Abahutu b’abahezanguni bicaga Abatutsi barenga miliyoni imwe.
Mu kiganiro yatanze mu 2013, Makenga yagize ati: “Ubuzima bwanjye ni intambara, amashuri yanjye ni intambara, ururimi rwanjye ni intambara…Ariko nubaha amahoro”.
RPF n’abarwanyi bayo ba RPA imaze gufata ubutegetsi i Kigali, benshi mu bari bagize leta yariho n’igisirikare bahungiye muri DR Congo (yari Zaïre icyo gihe).
Mu gisirikare cya RPA, Makenga yageze ku ipeti rya serija ndetse yungiriza umukuru wa palatuni y’abasirikare.
Umwe mu barwananye na we muri RPA yigeze kumushimagiza ko “yari igitangaza mu gutega ibico (ambushes)”, ubwo yaganiraga n’ikigo cy’ubushakashatsi Rift Valley Institute.
Iki kigo kivuga ko kuba atari afite amashuri no kutavuga neza indimi nk’Icyongereza n’Igifaransa, “byari imbogamizi mu kuzamuka kwe”, ntiyagera kure mu mapeti.
Makenga azwiho kuba umugabo uvuga macye kandi utari intyoza cyane mu gutanga imbwirwaruhame.
Mu 1997, yari mu nyeshyamba z’Abanyecongo zafashijwe n’ingabo z’u Rwanda gukuraho Perezida Mobutu Sese Seko muri Zaïre, ubutegetsi bufata Laurent-Désiré Kabila wahise ahindura izina ry’igihugu acyita RD Congo.
Gusa Makenga yatangiye gushwana n’abamukuriye, bituma atabwa muri yombi n’abasirikare nyuma yo kwanga amabwiriza yo gusubira mu Rwanda, nk’uko byavuzwe n’Akanama ka Loni gashinzwe umutekano.
Ako kanama kavuga ko yafungiwe ku kirwa cya Iwawa.
Hagati aho, imikoranire hagati ya Laurent Kabila n’u Rwanda yaje kunanirana, kuko u Rwanda rwifuzaga kurandura umutwe wa FDLR wasize ukoze Jenoside yakorewe Abatutsi mu 1994, ndetse mu bihe bitandukanye ukaba waragiye ugaba ibitero mu burengerazuba no mu majyaruguru y’igihugu ukica abantu.
Kabila ntiyashoboye guhagarika izo nyeshyamba, ndetse ategeka ingabo z’u Rwanda yakoranaga na zo i Kinshasa kuva muri Congo.
Ubwo Makenga yarekurwaga, yoherejwe imbere mu bayobora urugamba mu nyeshyamba zafashwaga n’u Rwanda.
Uko imyaka yagiye ishira, Makenga yagiye amenyekana nk’umurwanyi kabuhariwe uzi kuyobora ingabo ku rugamba.
Ubwo ingabo z’u Rwanda zinjiraga muri DR Congo mu 1998, habaye kwiyongera mu guhohotera Abatutsi b’Abanyecongo. Laurent Kabila yavugaga ko Abatutsi bashyigikiye ibyo bitero, abandi bategetsi na bo bagashishikariza rubanda kwibasira abo muri ubwo bwoko.
Makenga yashinjaga abategetsi ba Congo kugambanira abasirikare b’Abatutsi, yagize ati: “Kabila yari umunyapolitike, njye si ndi we. Ndi umusirikare, kandi ururimi nzi ni urw’imbunda.”
Ibihugu bituranyi byinshi byinjiye muri iyo ntambara na Loni yohereza ingabo nyinshi kugerageza kugarura amahoro.
Mu 2001 Laurent Kabila yiciwe mu biro bye n’umusirikare muto wamurindaga asimburwa n’umuhungu we Joseph Kabila Kabange.
Imirwano yarangiye neza mu 2003 habayeho kumvikana n’ubutegetsi bwa Joseph Kabila. Makenga n’abandi bari mu nyeshyamba bashyirwa mu ngabo za leta mu gikorwa cyiswe “mixage et brassage”, nyuma habaho n’amasezerano ya leta n’inyeshyamba mu 2009.
Nyuma y’imyaka y’agahenge ku butegetsi bwa Joseph, Makenga n’abandi baje kuva mu ngabo batangiza umutwe wa M23 bashinja Kabila kutubahiriza amasezerano ya 2009 yagiranye n’inyeshyamba – icyo gihe zari ziyobowe na Laurent Nkunda.
Muri Mata 2012 bashinga M23, Makenga yahise ajya ku ipeti rya jenerali, nyuma batangira ibitero bikomeye byafashe umujyi wa Goma.
Icyo gihe Makenga yashinjwe ibyaha by’intambara ndetse Amerika yamushyiriyeho ibihano imushinja “kwinjiza abana mu gisirikare, n’ubwicanyi ku basivile”, Makenga yavuze ko ibyo birego “nta shingiro bifite”.
Nyuma yo kurekura umujyi wa Goma hashize iminsi 10 gusa bawufashe, mu 2013 M23 yarashwe n’ihuriro ry’ingabo z’ibihugu byo mu karere n’iza Loni icikamo kabiri. Igice kimwe cya Makenga gihungira muri Uganda, ikindi cya Gen Bosco Ntaganda gihungira mu Rwanda, uyu yishyikiriza ambasade ya Amerika i Kigali.
Ntaganda wahimbwaga ‘Terminator’ yaje kujyanwa mu rukiko mpuzamahanga mpanabyaha i La Haye mu Buholandi aho yakatiwe gufungwa imyaka 30.
Uganda nayo yagiye ishinjwa gufasha M23 ikabihakana yahawe inyandiko zo guta muri yombi Makenga, ntiyabikora.
Nyuma y’imyaka umunani, mu Ugushyingo 2021, Makenga na bagenzi be bongeye kugaruka muri Congo. Intambara zongera kurota zihereye i Canzu muri Rutshuru hafi y’umupaka w’u Rwanda na Uganda.
Amasezerano menshi yo guhagarika imirwano hagati y’impande zirwana ntiyubahirijwe, buri ruhande rushinja urundi kuyarengaho.
Kuva icyo gihe Makenga si kenshi yagiye aboneka mu ruhame, akenshi ibya M23 abirekera umuvugizi, cyangwa se Corneille Nangaa nyuma y’uko bashinze ihuriro Alliance Fleuve Congo.
Makenga yigeze kuvuga ko intamabara ze azirwanira abana be batatu, “kugira ngo umunsi umwe bazagire ahazaza heza muri iki gihugu”.
Yagize ati: “Sinkwiye kuboneka nk’umugabo udashaka amahoro. Mfite umutima, mfite umuryango n’abantu nitayeho.”
Makenga yakatiwe igihano cy’urupfu n’ubutegetsi bwa Congo, gusa we avuga ko nta kizamuvana ku byo yiyemeje.
Ati: “Nzatanga icyo byasaba cyose”.
Kuri ubu Makenga n’ingabo ayoboye baragenzura ibice bitandukanye byo mu burasirazuba bwa RDC, by’umwihariko imijyi minini nka Goma na Bukavu bigaruriye mu ntangiriro z’uyu mwaka.
Muri uku kwezi na bwo Ingabo za AFC/M23 zari zigaruriye umujyi wa Uvira wa kabiri munini mu ntara ya Kivu y’Amajyepfo, gusa ziza kuwuvamo nyuma y’iminsi umunani bigizwemo uruhare na Leta Zunze Ubumwe za Amerika.
