CEASEFIRE AS A WAR TACTIC BY M23 REBELS

The Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group has become skilled at using ceasefire agreements to regroup - warns Claude Gatebuke, a survivor of the Rwandan Genocide and a human-rights advocate.

He notes that this strategy was honed by Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) during their collaboration with Ugandan leader Yoweri Museveni in the bush war of the 1980s.

On 4 February, M23 announced a unilateral ceasefire, claiming it was for “humanitarian reasons.” Yet, they have since taken control of Nyabibwe city and are moving south towards Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province. The UN reports that over 700,000 people have been displaced since January 2025, with thousands killed.

Regional organisations such as the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) have convened summits to try to negotiate an end to the conflict. Gatebuke warns that, based on their history, M23 is likely to use any ceasefire as an opportunity to rearm and expand their territory.

He highlights a pattern that’s easy to recognise, and the situation on the ground supports his claims. It’s evident that Congo is suffering greatly, while those in power sit in comfortable conference rooms, supposedly working to alleviate the crisis.

As the long-suffering Congolese people are all too aware, any agreed pause is merely a brief break in the ongoing turmoil.

Sources:

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/congo-conflict-m23-declares-ceasefire-4912974

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/m23-rebel-advances-in-eastern-dr-congo-overshadows-ceasefire-in-goma/3481177#

https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/01/1159541