An interim report by United Nations experts, released Wednesday, has outlined how the M23 rebel group, with alleged support from neighboring Rwanda, has seized towns in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and established parallel governance structures to control key mines and trade routes since April.
The ongoing violence in eastern Congo persists despite a ceasefire reached last year between Congo and Rwanda, according to the report presented to the UN Security Council. The experts suggest that M23’s objective is not merely territorial control but the long-term occupation and exploitation of the captured regions.
“At least 3,000 to 4,000 Rwandan troops are deployed in eastern Congo, with every M23 unit supervised and supported by Rwandan special forces,” the report claims.
Rwanda, which has long denied involvement with M23, responded to the accusations through President Paul Kagame during a press conference in Kigali on Thursday. Suggesting that a deeper examination of the region’s complexities is needed.
“When you asked me what next do I think should happen… I have spoken out very loudly to whoever needed to listen,” Kagame said. “This problem is not surmountable. It can be addressed, it can end, it should have ended in fact long ago, but you can’t end it by manipulation. You can’t change it by playing games. Is FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) there or not? If anybody thinks Rwanda is in DRC, why should Rwanda be in DRC? They should ask themselves that question.”
Relations between Rwanda and Burundi have been fraught since 2015, when Burundi closed its land borders with Rwanda. The relationship began to improve after Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye took office in 2020, demanding Rwanda extradite alleged coup plotters accused of attempting to overthrow former President Pierre Nkurunziza in 2015. Rwanda has denied the accusations, and Rwanda has in turn accused Burundi of supporting the FDLR rebels — a group blamed for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
The relationship took another turn in January 2024, when Burundi closed its borders again after accusing Rwanda of supporting an armed group that carried out deadly attacks in December 2023. The attacks in Gatumba, a town on the DRC border, left dozens of civilians dead.
In a separate development, the Secretary General of Burundi’s ruling party, CNDD-FDD, addressed questions about Burundi’s military involvement in DRC. Following reports that Burundi had deployed forces to support the Congolese government, Reverien Ndikuriyo insisted that Burundi’s actions were necessary for its own security.
“Relations between Burundi and DRC shouldn’t be a concern for Rwanda,” Ndikuriyo said. “We will continue to protect our territory.”
Meanwhile, the Congolese government continues to accuse Rwanda of backing M23 rebels, whose actions have fueled instability in the eastern DRC, displacing millions and causing widespread suffering. The conflict has left hundreds of thousands dead or missing since it began.
The DRC’s central government, which faces increasing pressure from the international community, has repeatedly called for Rwanda to stop its alleged support of the M23 group, calling the intervention an obstacle to peace and stability in the region.
