Eastern DR Congo crisis escalates as M23 advances in North Kivu

► What’s Happening in Eastern Congo?

Three decades following the Rwandan Tutsi genocide, deadly conflicts surge in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern North Kivu region, pitting Congolese forces against a coalition of armed militias led by the M23 movement. This conflict, fluctuating between periods of calm and intense strife for 30 years, has recently escalated. An M23 rebel offensive in early February surrounded Goma, the regional capital, displacing over 150,000 people, according to Save The Children. Prolonged clashes have internally displaced over seven million individuals, an October 2023 International Organization for Migration report indicates.

► Rwanda’s Role

The M23 movement, established in 2012 and primarily comprising Tutsi members, numbers over 2,500. Congo’s President Félix Tshisekedi accuses the group of receiving financial and material support from Rwanda.

France has urged Kigali to « halt all support for M23 and withdraw from Congolese territory, » a call joined by Washington condemning violence in North Kivu. According to the Congolese government, Rwanda aims to seize Congolese minerals from a region producing most of the world’s coltan.

Beyond economic interests, ethnic conflicts also play a role. In the summer of 1994, nearly a million Rwandan Hutu refugees, fearing reprisals from Kigali’s new authorities, sought refuge in Kivu. While many eventually returned to Rwanda, the 30-year presence of Hutu extremists in the province is viewed by Kigali as a threat. Meanwhile, M23 claims to fight for the protection of Congolese Tutsi populations, with the specter of genocide looming over Great Lakes regional relations.

► Potential peace accord players?

Amid the conflict, the international community remains largely silent. On February 28, the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, present for over two decades, began its withdrawal, prompted by perceived inadequate results and a request from Congolese authorities, supported by part of the population.

Few parties are prepared to advocate for conflict resolution. The African Union has appointed Angola to mediate between DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, while the European Union has remained quiet. Far from imposing sanctions on Kigali, the EU even signed a memorandum of understanding with Rwanda in February 2024 for mineral exploitation.