WHO IS THE M23?

The M23 militia has cited Tutsis’ long-time marginalisation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with roots in the 1994 Rwandan gen*cide, as its raison d’être. However, M23 appears to serve more so as an economic tool, facilitating the extraction and smuggling of minerals like gold and tantalum, which Rwanda exports despite possessing few domestic reserves. 

Is the M23 a genuine defender of marginalised communities or merely a proxy force for Rwandan economic and geopolitical interests? Here is a history of the group. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Sources:

https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20250129-dr-congo-and-rwanda-leaders-in-crisis-talks-as-m23-tightens-grip-on-goma 

https://archive.ph/XhPq7

https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/opinion/decoding-the-drc-crisis-the-m23-rebellion-and-its-historical-roots-86e1fa7b-f3e5-4cd4-9323-8764befc8ce3 

https://clarknow.clarku.edu/2023/06/01/guggenheim-scholars-seek-to-uncover-decades-old-stories-of-rwandans-fleeing-violence-in-congo/#:%7E:text=Hutu%20survivors%20have%20mostly%20remained,Zaire%2C%20according%20to%20Amnesty%20International.

https://www.thecollector.com/mobutu-congo-great-dictator/ 

https://www.newsweek.com/how-dispute-between-friends-congo-sparked-africas-deadliest-war-534272 

https://rwandinfo.com/eng/kabarebe-rwanda-and-congos-killing-fields/ 

https://youtu.be/mECN7JSsnxY  

https://www.newsweek.com/how-dispute-between-friends-congo-sparked-africas-deadliest-war-534272 

The Second Congo War: A forgotten tragedy

https://press.un.org/en/2002/sc7479.doc.htm 

https://docs.un.org/S/2001/357

https://docs.un.org/S/2001/357 

https://www.academia.edu/8011078/From_CNDP_to_M23_The_Evolution_of_an_Armed_Movement

https://www.voanews.com/a/un-experts--fdlr-cndp-still-operating-as-rebel-groups-in-drc-exploiting-minerals-78734072/416241.html 

https://www.hrw.org/report/2009/12/13/you-will-be-punished/attacks-civilians-eastern-congo 

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2008/11/democratic-republic-congo-crisis-north-kivu-20081121/ 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/ukfs_news/mobile/newsid_7840000/newsid_7846300/7846339.stm 

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2012/11/26/qa-behind-the-m23-mutiny-in-dr-congo/ 

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/28/world/africa/congo-m23-rwanda.html 

https://africacenter.org/spotlight/rwanda-drc-risk-of-war-new-m23-rebellion-emerges-explainer/ 

https://africacenter.org/spotlight/rwanda-drc-risk-of-war-new-m23-rebellion-emerges-explainer/ 

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/4/24/rwandas-kagame-in-uganda-on-rare-visit-as-ties-warm 

https://theconversation.com/rwanda-has-reopened-the-border-with-uganda-but-distrust-could-close-it-again-176861 

https://www.capmad.com/mining-en/rwanda-to-overtake-drc-as-coltan-exporter-in-2023/#Coltan_exports_of_Congolese_origin 

https://apnews.com/article/congo-mining-m23-un-security-council-b11207ba887b352d702c3e4603d0c891  

https://www.ft.com/content/ecf89818-949b-4de7-9e8a-89f119c23a69  

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26875506 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK223348