Former diplomat Dunaiski urges Namibia to stay out of DRC conflict amid rising pressures

Former diplomat Pius Dunaiski says Namibia should refrain from involving themselves in the current war raging in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

He was speaking to Desert FM on Monday, assessing the risk factor that comes with sending troops out to DRC.

“Our economy cannot carry this, our country is suffering a lot of unemployment. There is so much hunger. I mean, we have the highest unemployment in the whole southern African region. So, I don’t want us to go that far, but I understand there will be pressure on Namibia to follow suit with South Africa and others and not to be seen as the odd one out there,” Dunaiski said.

He highlighted the changing geopolitical atmosphere in Africa and said there will be a lot of pressure to participate.

Dunaiski attributed the ongoing tensions in the DRC to the major powers involved in the conflict and scattered rebel groups.

“I’m told there are 136 rebel groups operating in the DRC and each one, it’s almost like a military little unit that are just looting,” he said.

These comments come after presidential press secretary Alfredo Hengari said the government has not yet made a decision on whether to send troops to the DRC following the capture of the city of Goma by M23 rebel forces.

Namibia has so far spent N$90 million on peacekeeping efforts in the DRC. On Friday, president Nangolo Mbumba called for diplomacy to end the crisis.

“President Nangolo Mbumba is committed to the peaceful resolution of the conflict, and reiterated that position on Friday, 31 January, in his message to the diplomatic community,” says Hengari.

Mbumba called for peaceful resolutions to the ongoing conflict in the DRC, urging conflicting parties to pursue diplomatic means in line with the principles of the United Nations Charter.

This follows an extraordinary summit on Friday by the Southern African Development Community heads of states in Harare, Zimbabwe, chaired by president Emmerson Mnangagwa, where minister of defence and veterans affairs Frans Kapofi represented Namibia to discuss the escalating conflict.