The city of Goma in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is once again threatened by M23 rebels, who are attempting to overrun the city and surrounding region. There are currently almost 7 million displaced people in the region, making it one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The most recent bout of fighting, which began in November 2023, follows a number of failed peace agreements with the group in recent years, which had previously occupied the city in 2012.
Goma is close to the border with Rwanda and Uganda, and its citizens have experienced decades of insecurity and war. The region is remarkably resource-rich, with massive deposits of sought-after minerals, especially cobalt, used in smartphones and emerging green technology. When Peace News spoke to people in Goma last year, many believed that the resources were fueling the conflict, calling it an “economic war”. Experts on the region emphasized the need to enforce any international agreements intended to ensure that the mining of cobalt and other minerals is done responsibly, with calls for international technology companies to vet their supply chains more rigorously.
When we spoke with experts and civilians, they all emphasized the role that the DRC’s “neighbors” play, especially Rwanda. Since the end of the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, Kigali has been deeply involved in the DRC. The First and Second Congo Wars – which led to millions of deaths and involved many other African countries – were both caused by Rwandan invasions of Congolese territory, and led to the current crisis.
While there are many armed groups in the region, M23 is by far the strongest and best-organized. One major reason for that is Rwanda’s support for M23, which was acknowledged in a recent UN report. During the 2023 Congolese elections, President Félix Tshisekedi threatened to invade Rwanda in retaliation, which was met with reciprocated threats by Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
A UN peacekeeping mission known as MONUSCO will withdraw by the end of 2024, which will further complicate the security situation. MONUSCO was highly unpopular with many Congolese and failed to prevent conflict, but there are serious concerns over the capacity of the Congolese security forces to provide security as well. The Congolese army has a reputation for corruption and poor discipline, and the defense of Goma, home to two million people, will partly depend on militias connected to past human rights abuses, and Romanian mercenaries. In a region that has faced decades of conflict and seemingly never-ending threats from militias, rebels, and foreign troops, a new approach is needed to address the ethnic, economic, and geopolitical drivers of the conflict, instead of continuing the same unsuccessful approach which risks a regional war.
For the past 25 years, the major obstacle to peace in the DRC has not been agreeing on a peace deal, but enforcing it. There is virtually no history of open democracy and peaceful and legitimate transfers of power in the DRC. Following independence from brutal Belgian colonial rule, civil war established Mobutu’s kleptocratic dictatorship. Peace agreements signed in Lusaka and Pretoria in 1999 and 2002 ended the open involvement of foreign powers in the DRC. However, for the Congolese living in the contested regions in the country, peace continued to be elusive, as peace accords made at the state level have failed to translate into success on the ground.
Just 11 years ago, M23 made peace with the government, promising to lay down its arms and move towards political opposition. M23 is the latest iteration of various Tutsi-led armed groups which have had a presence in the region for close to 30 years, and it is unsurprising that it failed to disarm as promised, considering its long history of war against the Congolese state, and backing by Rwanda. The core issues – foreign interests, the valuable resources in the region, and the continued weakness and decades-long failure of the Congolese state to provide security and prosperity for its people, remain impediments to any lasting peace. Tshisekedi’s threats during the election campaign and heightened anti-Rwanda rhetoric further inflamed the situation; cooperation between Kinshasa and Kigali will be essential to finding an eventual peace deal.
While the wider political situation is complex and controlled by actors with ulterior motives, on the ground the reality is simple: peace is desperately needed. We spoke with civilians in Goma during a previous M23 offensive they spoke about their fear that the rebels could take over the city, and about the impact the conflict has had on their lives, including shortages of food and their inability to work and earn a livelihood from the instability. The need for peace was a common theme, and some believed that negotiations with Rwanda and the involved groups was the best option. In every conversation Peace News had, the focus was on the desire for a peaceful and stable Goma, without the threat of war.
Last week, the Congolese national soccer team publicly called for peace before an Africa Cup of Nations semi-final, which drew much-needed attention to the ongoing conflict. There is hope that international attention can help to address the geopolitical factors which lead to the fighting. The United States, for example, was involved in negotiations which led to a three-day ceasefire in December 2023, after working with the Rwandan and Congolese governments. That agreement came after US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines engaged directly with Tshisekedi and Kagame, and secured commitments from both to deescalate.
While Tshisekedi subsequently escalated his rhetoric, and Rwanda has not stopped backing M23, a template of similar high-level engagement may be successful in the future. It recognizes the international element of the conflict and that M23 is not a wholly independent actor, and could bring together the two actors who have the most influence in the region. Direct engagement between the two, especially with the help of international mediators, might help to find a long-term solution that can bring the decades of war in Africa’s Great Lakes to an end. However, with thousands of civilians displaced and M23 troops reportedly close to Goma, the need for peace on the ground is more urgent than ever.
Leo Weakland
Leo Weakland graduated from the George Washington University in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs. He is the Development and Operations Manager for Peace News Network, and is based in Washington, D.C. Before Peace News, he worked as a Research Assistant at GWU, for a nonprofit focused on supporting veterans running for office, and interned at the Office of the General Counsel at the Centers for Disease Control.
