Opinion: World Powers Silent as Congo Crisis Deepens
Protests erupt in Kinshasa over global silence while M23 rebels take control of Goma International Airport, surpassing their 2012 gains.
M23 rebels have captured Goma, the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, seizing its international airport in their latest advancement - a strategic objective they failed to achieve during their previous occupation of the city in 2012. The capture of Goma, the capital of the mineral-rich North Kivu Province, has sparked protests in Kinshasa, the country's capital city, where demonstrators have gathered at the embassies of Rwanda, France, Belgium, the U.S., Kenya, and Uganda over international inaction.
The protests targeted the embassies of countries said to be in alliance with Rwanda’s support of the rebels. Fires briefly erupted in the French embassy as protesters accused these countries of valuing the country’s rich mineral deposits over human lives. It’s the latest chapter in the country’s tumultuous post-independence history.
Per AFP News Agency, at least 17 people have been killed as a result of M23’s offensive. Over 370 people have been injured, as aid agencies and local hospitals are stretched beyond their capacity to provide emergency healthcare to survivors, and this has now created a major humanitarian crisis.
Over 12 years ago, M23 captured and held Goma for 10 days. The insurgent group withdrew following an agreement between the Congolese government, M23 leaders, and representatives of countries bordering the DRC. Rwanda, which shares a border with Goma, was one of the countries involved in negotiations, with the United Nations (UN) stating on several occasions that the Kagame-led country is supporting and bankrolling M23.
Although Rwanda has consistently denied those accusations, it has reportedly deployed about 4,000 troops to eastern Congo, and locals have also stated that Rwandan soldiers significantly supported M23’s latest offensive. In late 2012, when M23 first captured Goma, international pressure on Rwanda played a significant role in de-escalating the situation, with the British government – Rwanda’s biggest bilateral aid donor – threatening to cut a £21 million aid package.
However, that level of international pressure might not be forthcoming this time. Over the years, Rwandan President Paul Kagame has become better allied with Western powers, projecting himself and his government as a stabilizing, progressive force in a volatile region.
Despite renewed M23 activity and allegations that Kagame’s regime continues to support the rebel group, Rwanda hosted the Commonwealth Summit in 2022. It was also the UK’s partner in a rather cruel asylum-seekers migration plan, which was scrapped after the general election in the UK last year. However, the Starmer-led UK government has since said it wants to continue strengthening ties with Kagame and the Rwandan government.
At Sunday’s emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the UK said it is “deeply concerned by the scale and pace of recent M23 and Rwandan Defence Forces advances in eastern DRC.” The U.S. and France also condemned Rwanda’s active role as a supporter of M23, but none of these countries have proposed any actionable measures.
Donald Trump’s arrogant nationalistic stance is still bearing out in the U.S.’s foreign policy shift, which involves halting aid, while France is courting stronger ties with Kagame after French President Emmanuel Macronapologized for his country’s role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. France also hopes to compensate for losing support in several former colonies across West and Central Africa and may not want to offend Kagame.
Meanwhile, the UN has, in its usual stock tone, said it is “deeply concerned by the escalating violence” and “calls on the Rwanda Defence Forces to cease support to the M23 and withdraw from DRC territory.”
“Everyone has pointed the finger at Rwanda by now, and it has not moved the needle,” Stephanie Wolters, a Congo analyst with South Africa’s Institute for Security Studies, told Reuters. “Kagame hasn’t had to face consequences that matter to him yet.”
Considering the severity of Rwanda backing rebels, to the point of deploying troops, in another sovereign nation, a more stern approach by Western countries and international bodies would have been expected. However, it seems Kagame is pretty much Teflon, despite persistent questions about him being a “dictator” and “warmonger.” Rwanda has also been accused of smuggling conflict minerals out of eastern Congo.
The lack of a weighty diplomatic response to M23’s advance into Goma is complicated by several ongoing conflicts, including Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, the civil war in Sudan, the Russia-Ukraine war, and other events like Trump’s entry into office in the U.S. “This is opportunism from M23 who sees that the rest of the world has got its attention elsewhere,” Rob Parsons, France24’s Chief Foreign Editor, says.
On the continent, Kenyan President and chair of the East Africa Community (EAC) Heads of States Summit, William Ruto, said he spoke to both Kagame and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi the evening of Sunday, Jan 26, and both agreed to participate in an emergency meeting.
Also, South African President Cyril Ramaphosaspoke with Kagame over the phone, and both “agreed on the urgent need for a ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks by all parties to the conflict.” Ramaphosa’s call followed confirmation that four more soldiers in the Southern African Mission to DR Congo were killed during M23’s offensive after nine soldiers were killed in attacks by the rebel group last week.
It remains to be seen what these talks and appeals for a ceasefire will amount to. After all, Kagame did sign a permanent ceasefire last July as part of resolutions of the Luanda Process mediated by Angolan President João Lourenҫo.
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