The M23, a former rebel group defeated ten years ago, has taken up arms again, multiplying attacks in North Kivu, on the border with Rwanda, a region rich in minerals. The resurgence of the March 23 Movement has caused a new crisis between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its neighbor Rwanda.
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What happened ?
Tension has risen gradually in North Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a border region with Rwanda. A rebellion, defeated since 2013, resurfaced at the end of last year and stepped up attacks on army positions in Rutshuru territory. Since then, clashes have sporadically taken place between the movement and the Congolese army. Waves of violence follow one another in March and then in May, forcing tens of thousands of civilians to flee.
“According to the latest estimates compiled by humanitarian organizations and territorial authorities, more than 117,000 people have been displaced since the violence erupted last March.”
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Who are the M23 rebels ?
Mainly made up of former soldiers of the Congolese army from the Tutsi ethnic minority, this movement had a lot of talk about it ten years ago. Supported at the time by Rwanda and Uganda, he had taken control of large provinces of North Kivu before being defeated by the Congolese army. Most of the rebels had found refuge in neighboring countries. The group’s sudden resurgence and attacks in the mineral-rich eastern DRC have rekindled old tensions with Rwanda, which is regularly accused of carrying out incursions into Congolese territory. Kigali is once again singled out.
“Today it is clear, there is no doubt, Rwanda supported the M23 to attack the DRC”
Felix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of CongoStatement of June 5 during a visit to Brazaville
Why is it serious?
Rwanda denies any involvement but the recent outbreak of violence has reignited tensions causing a new crisis within the crisis.
This escalation in the northeast of the DRC worsens an already particularly complicated situation. More than a hundred armed groups have been raging with impunity in this region, which has been plagued by violence for more than 25 years. The Congolese authorities have recently launched talks with some of these groups in an attempt to find a peaceful solution. A bet far from being won without the participation and the will of neighboring countries, involved in one way or another on Congolese territory.
The resurgence of an armed group like the M23 constitutes an additional threat to peace in a forgotten crisis where human suffering is transmitted from generation to generation. More than 5.5 million people are displaced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, particularly in the east of the country.
“The M23 armed group has been responsible for countless atrocities in the past and renewed fighting in North Kivu raises serious concerns for the safety of civilians in the region.”
Thomas Fessy, senior DRC researcher at Human Rights Watch