“A precarious calm is observed,” said Lieutenant Reagan Mbuyi,
spokesperson for the Congolese army, on the northern front of the
conflict, which has been ongoing for two and a half years in the North Kivu
province with the Congolese army’s auxiliaries and the M23 rebels. On the
southern front, residents reported gunfire in the Masisi territory,
but there were no battles between the two sides.
On July 17, the United States announced a “15-day extension of the
humanitarian truce.” It will be in effect until August 3 and commits the rebels “to silence their weapons and provide
humanitarian personnel unfettered access to vulnerable populations,” according to
a statement from the White House National Security Council. However, the
situation remains very fragile on the ground.
Mutual blame for the conflict
Since late 2021, M23, the Rwanda-backed armed rebellion, had resumed arms due to Kinshasa’s failure to implement the peace agreement that
ended its first rebellion in 2012. The agreement stipulated the reintegration
of rebels into the Congolese army, which was not done, according to the M23. Authorities
in the capital are accused of collaborating with the Democratic Forces for the
Liberation of Rwanda, a rebel group formed by individuals guilty of
genocide who fled Rwanda in 1994 to fight against the M23. Kinshasa, on the
other hand, accused the M23 of being a puppet of Rwanda, whose real objective
would be to plunder eastern DRC of its mineral resources, including coltan and
gold.
According to the United Nations, there is no doubt that Kigali massively supports the M23. Its latest report on the subject, published July 8, revealed that support has increased recently. In January, the report’s authors noted that 1,000 Rwandan soldiers (RDF) joined the M23-controlled area. They
estimated that between 3,000 and 4,000 Rwandan soldiers are present in the Rutshuru,
Masisi, and Nyiragongo territories, more than the estimated 3,000 M23 fighters.
These soldiers are sent with advanced equipment and armored vehicles equipped
with radars and surface-to-air missiles.
The report said Rwandan officers have “de facto” taken “control and direction of M23 operations.” The authors also lamented that both sides recruit child soldiers. Uganda’s role in supporting the
M23 is also highlighted in this document. Bordering the DRC, Uganda allows
rebels and their Rwandan allies to transit through its territory and even
serves as a rear base for leaders of the M23 armed group, named after the
March 23, 2009 peace agreement.
Dire humanitarian consequences
To date, all attempts to find a peaceful solution to this conflict have
failed. Urgency is needed as the humanitarian consequences of this crisis are
severe. “During their latest attack, M23 and its supporters burned
several DRC Armed Forces bases, causing further displacement and exacerbating
an already catastrophic humanitarian and human rights situation,” warned
Bintou Keita, head of the UN mission in the DRC, July 8.
Like other international and Congolese NGOs, Action Against Hunger noted
that, in June alone, more than 350,000 people were displaced due to this
conflict, bringing the total to 2.8 million displaced in North Kivu alone and
6.9 million in the DRC.
“Parties to the conflict continue to establish their presence inside
and around displacement camps. Rates of sexual and gender-based violence are
drastically increasing,” warned the NGO. “Furthermore, the imminent
withdrawal of the UN
Organization Mission in the DRC (MONUC) threatened to create a security
vacuum to protect civilians, which would only worsen the situation. Without international community mobilization, the situation could severely deteriorate in the coming weeks,” it said on the eve of the July 21 Mid-Year Coordination Meeting that brings together the African Union, the Regional Economic Communities, the Regional Mechanisms, and the African Union Member States, in Accra.
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