The leader of the AFC/M23 coalition fighting the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Corneille Nangaa Yobeluo, has tasked President Félix Tshisekedi with opening banks in the cities of Bukavu and Goma, if he is concerned about the Congolese population living there.
The banks in these cities were closed in January and February 2025, when the coalition fighters took them over and the DRC government forces fled. It was a decision intended to "stun" Nangaa and his colleagues.
On October 30, a conference was held in France to study the security of the African Great Lakes region, the main objective of which was to find assistance for those affected by the fighting between the AFC/M23 and the DRC army.
On that day, President Tshisekedi expressed his concern about the lives of those living in areas controlled by the AFC/M23, and asked for support. With the participation of France and Togo, which organized the conference, 1.5 billion euros were raised to provide general assistance to those affected by the fighting.
On November 2, Nangaa expressed that President Tshisekedi's request was unreasonable because he had played a significant role in the difficult life of those in the AFC/M23-controlled areas and other areas in eastern DRC.
"In January 2025, Goma was liberated, followed soon after by Bukavu. In response, Félix Tshisekedi ordered the closure of banks, confiscating the money deposited by the eastern population."
"This decision is more than illegal, it is part of the sanctions he has imposed on Swahili speakers, claiming that they are foreigners."
Nangaa recalled that President Tshisekedi is the one who is sending Sukhoi fighter jets and drones to densely populated areas in the eastern DRC, shooting at civilians, and that he is the one who ordered the closure of all roads leading to markets for the Banyamulenge people living in Minembwe.
Nangaa pointed out that if Tshisekedi has put his thoughts in order, and wants to help the Swahili-speaking population live a normal life, he should open the banks and the roads through which they go to markets.
"If Tshisekedi had changed his mind at the last minute, and thought he could help our Swahili-speaking people live a normal life, he would have just started opening banks, allowing the movement of people and goods to continue," he said.
He continued, “Swahili speakers do not have a culture of self-reliance: they are workers who live off the fruits of their labor and sweat. They have a culture of self-reliance and responsibility.”
On several occasions, AFC/M23 has demonstrated that confiscating citizens’ bank accounts is intended to take their lives, and is therefore a crime against humanity committed by the DRC government.
