The former President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Joseph Kabila, has said the withdrawal of all foreign armies from the DRC is an important first step towards obtaining peace in the war-ravaged eastern part of the country.

Kabila pointed out that a peace process should also have the full and direct involvement of all the Congolese.

Former President Kabila spoke to nbc News in an interview just before he left Namibia from the Hosea Kutako International Airport after he attended the state funeral of the late Founding President, Dr. Sam Nujoma. 

Kabila, who is concerned about the security situation in his country, pointed out that in 2001, just after he came to power, a similar situation arose where foreign armies were deployed in the DRC to stem fighting there. 

However, he stated that a bold decision was required to arrest the situation.

"Our decision in 2001 was, we believed that all foreign troops had to leave the Congo in order for peace to be achieved and in order to give the Congolese the flexibility to talk about this thing that is called peace, and that's how most of those troops left. Congolese were left to deal with those issues, but of course, with the support and accompaniment of the partners of the Congo, the region, and beyond, the UN was also included. But is it the same therapy that can or will work? We have to sit around and go into that, but I believe that there is nothing more important than a country within its borders being sovereign, making sovereign decisions, and there not being seven armies battling it out, mercenaries included, hundreds of armed groups, and when you have such a mixture, well, it is quite an unbearable situation."

In 2008, Kabila signed a peace deal with the rebel groups in the Eastern Congo, and he shared some advice from his experiences.

"My advice could be to talk to the Congolese people; they know better. They know best; they have already been there. They have climbed that mountain; they have gone down the valley. It is another mountain to climb. They know better and best what it is that they are suffering from. I know the initiative is to bring mediators from West Africa and some other African countries, but no mediator will tell you that he or she knows the situation better than the Congolese themselves. And then the second step should be the goodwill: how do you judge the goodwill, the good intentions of the actors; and of course, thirdly, what are the guarantees that what you are doing will definitely bring about the peace we are talking about?"

At the age of 53, Kabila is the leader of the People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy. What does the future hold for him?

"Only God knows", he said, adding, "our intentions are to be very much available to serve our country, serve our people, continue to serve the people, serve the region also, and serve Africa. Because the Congo is an African country, Namibia is an African country, and what we should be looking at is not only our own small countries but the continent as a whole. Because we are bigger, we are stronger as a continent as opposed to just being Congolese or Namibians, so we still have a bit of energy to continue to serve that cause."