Crisis in Congo: On the Democratic Republic of the Congo and rebels

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is no stranger to civil conflicts. But the latest advances made by M23, a rebel coalition, capturing the mineral-rich city of Goma, is a humiliating setback for the Congolese government, which had vowed to crush the rebellion in the east. M23, which takes its name from a failed peace agreement signed between a Tutsi-led rebel group and the Congolese government on March 23, 2009, claims it is fighting to protect the rights of Congo’s Tutsi ethnic minority. Congo and UN experts say neighbouring Rwanda, ruled by a Tutsi-led government, is backing M23. In 2012, shortly after it was founded, M23 seized much of Goma. But it withdrew as Rwanda came under international pressure. There was a short spell of calmness with M23 rebels agreeing to join the Congolese army in return for state protection for the Tutsis. But in 2021, the group took up arms again and started the latest spell of fighting. After Goma fell last week, Paul Kagame, Rwanda’s President, called for a ceasefire but with little impact. Congo, on the other side, has termed the fall of Goma “a declaration of war” and vowed a “vigorous military response”.

The crisis in Congo can be traced to the Rwandan genocide in 1994 in which about 8,00,000 people, mostly Tutsis, were massacred by ethnic Hutu militias. When tens of thousands of Hutus fled Rwanda for Congo in the mid-1990s after the fall of the genocidal regime in Kigali, Congo’s local Tutsis took up arms in ‘self-defence’. Rwanda has made military incursions into Congo in the past, accusing it of harbouring those who were complicit in the genocide. Today’s Rwanda is much stronger than what it was in 2012. Mr. Kagame, a former guerrilla leader, has modernised the economy and built a disciplined military. Rwanda has also developed close ties with western countries, who see Mr. Kagame as a force of stability in an unstable region as well as a major contributor of forces to UN missions. So, unlike in 2012, Mr. Kagame seems to be making his moves from a position of strength this time. The conflict has exposed Congo’s inherent vulnerabilities and Rwanda’s insecurities and ambitions. But it is also a testament to the unresolved ethnic anxieties of the region, 30 years after the genocide was brought to an end. The international community should push Mr. Kagame to rein in the rebels. Congo should also realise that for long-term peace, it should take action against the genocide-linked groups that operate from its soil and take the Tutsi minorities, for whom the memories of the massacre are still fresh, into confidence.