The advance of Rwandan-backed rebels through eastern Democratic Republic of Congo threatens to escalate into a regional conflict. The M23 rebels captured the provincial capital Goma last month and are pushing towards other cities, raising concerns among regional leaders who met over the weekend to discuss the situation. However, the summit failed to produce concrete solutions beyond calling for talks and a ceasefire.
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\In summary: The Presidency of Ecuador will be decided in a second round between Noboa and González. Following the truce in Gaza, Palestinians in the West Bank suffer more Israeli checkpoints, traffic, and misery. World News Rwandan President Paul Kagame attends a conference on the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on February 8, 2025. (AP photo/Elia Yunga)\KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — The advance of Rwandan-backed rebels through eastern Democratic Republic of Congo could escalate into a regional conflict involving more countries, analysts warn, and the two nations most involved in the mineral-rich area could be key to stopping the violence. The recent capture of the provincial capital Goma by the M23 rebels last month and their reported advance toward another provincial capital have drawn concern from countries in East and Southern Africa. A joint meeting of leaders from those regions over the weekend offered no concrete proposals for ending the fighting beyond urging talks and an immediate ceasefire. Notably, they did not call for the rebels to withdraw from Goma. At the close of the summit, Congo issued a statement praising the “bases for a collective approach” to securing peace. But there are concerns that shifting alliances in the region could also lead to a collective collapse. Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi had sought the help of allies in the region and beyond when the M23 rebels resurged in late 2021. \Burundian troops, with their own tense relations with Rwanda, were sent to fight alongside Congolese forces. Troops from Tanzania, which hosted the weekend's summit, were deployed to Congo under the banner of a regional bloc. And Uganda, on bad terms with Rwanda, had already deployed hundreds of troops to fight another rebel group in eastern Congo. For Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, it was “like juggling a polygamous marriage” as he maneuvered to protect the integrity of his vast country, explained Murithi Mutiga, director for Africa at the International Crisis Group. “Rwanda felt excluded while Burundi and Uganda were welcomed” in eastern Congo, stated Mutiga. “Rwanda decided to assert itself.”\Congolese authorities view the M23 rebels as a puppet army of Rwanda driven to illegally exploit the vast mineral resources of eastern Congo, estimated to be worth billions of dollars. The rebels are backed by an estimated 4,000 Rwandan soldiers, according to evidence gathered by United Nations experts. The rebellion stems partly from Rwanda's concern that other rebels — Hutu ethnic groups opposed to the Rwandan government and accused of participating in the 1994 Rwandan genocide — have been allowed to operate in largely lawless parts of eastern Congo. Rwandan President Paul Kagame accuses Tshisekedi of ignoring the concerns of Congolese Tutsi ethnic groups after hundreds of thousands of Tutsis were killed in the genocide. The ranks of the M23 contain many Congolese Tutsis. The next major target of the rebels is Bukavu, capital of South Kivu province, and they have vowed to go as far as Kinshasa, the capital of Congo, some 1,600 kilometers away. Eastern Congo has been the scene of conflict in recent decades that has caused the highest number of deaths since World War II. Its last major regional convulsion erupted in 1998 when then-President of Congo, Laurent Kabila, invited forces from countries including Zimbabwe and Angola to protect him from rebels supported by Rwanda who sought to overthrow him. Uganda and Rwanda, who had helped Kabila take power by force the year before before feeling alienated by him, fought mainly on the same side. Now, analysts say both Rwanda and Uganda are key again. The risk of regional escalation this time is “high,” especially with both Kagame and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni still eager to influence eastern Congo, stated Godber Tumushabe, an analyst at the Kampala-based Great Lakes Strategic Studies Institute.
CONGO RWANDA REBELS M23 REGIONAL CONFLICT EAST AFRICA PEACE TALKS
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Rwanda-backed rebels claim to have seized key city in CongoRwandan backed rebels have entered the city of Goma, a key city in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. Could the mineral rich region be in danger of tipping into all out regional conflict?
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Rwanda-backed rebels claim to have seized key city in CongoRwandan backed rebels have entered the city of Goma, a key city in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. Could the mineral rich region be in danger of tipping into all out regional conflict?
Read more »
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