C64 initiative toward Kabila and Tshisekedi is a “confusion of roles” that plays into Kigali’s hands, says UDPS’s Christian Lumu Lukusa

The UDPS youth league rejects the Article 64 Coalition’s plan to meet Félix Tshisekedi and Joseph Kabila in an effort to resolve the crisis and arrange an inclusive national dialogue. Its national vice-president, Christian Lumu Lukusa, calls the initiative ill-timed and says it could legitimize the Front pour la refondation de la Nation, which the U.S. Treasury describes as the successor to the M23’s political wing, the AFC. He warns that the opposition risks serving Kigali’s strategy, following U.S. sanctions on Rwanda’s defense ministry and a Rwandan financial institution on October 28. Lukusa says mediation between the two leaders should be handled by impartial civil society groups and international mediators, and urges the C64 to join the national dialogue under Tshisekedi’s authority.