Why Rwanda-DR Congo Tensions Are Erupting Again

What is happening in Eastern Congo?

The Tutsi-led M23 rebel group has been waging a renewed insurgency in Eastern Congo since 2022, citing discrimination against Congolese Tutsis and failures in governance as the reasons for their rebellion. This has forced African nations like South Africa, Malawi, and Tanzania to step in, extending the impact of the region’s hostilities.

Over the past few weeks, the group has captured several strategic towns, including Minova in South Kivu, Bweremana, Numbi, and Lumbishi in North Kivu, and now Goma, the heart of Eastern Congo. Minova, occupied last week, acted as a critical supply route for Goma, a city of around two million people and a humanitarian hub. Congolese civilians, fleeing bombs and bullets, have overwhelmed displacement camps like Nzulo on the outskirts of Goma, only to flee again as the rebels advance. “We don’t know where we are going because everywhere, the bombs are following us,” displacedGoma resident David Kasereka, who fled on a motorbike with his child, told AP News.

Rwanda’s alleged role

The DRC, the United Nations, and international observers continue to accuse Rwanda of supporting M23 with weapons and troops. A2024 UN report stated that Rwanda had deployed up to 4,000 soldiers in Eastern Congo, though Kigali denies these claims. In the same report, the UN also alleged Uganda to be an M23 collaborator.

At apress conference on Jan. 9, 2025, Rwandan President Paul Kagame dismissed these allegations as a deflection of Congo’s governance failures. “The M23 fighters did not come from Rwanda,” he stated. “The majority came from Uganda,” where they had fled as refugees following M23’sinitial rebellion in 2012-2013, according to Kagame.

Kagame also accused Congo of working with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a militia group composed of Hutu extremists responsible for the1994 Rwandan Genocide. “The FDLR has been in Congo for 30 years, and the international community has preserved them. I don’t know for what — whether it’s a gift of thanks for having committed genocide or because they are anti-Rwanda,” Kagame said. He questioned how Congo could label M23 as terrorists while tolerating the FDLR, which he called a genocidal group.

“We have been clear: Rwanda has no interest in destabilizing the region. Our priority is ensuring security for our borders and our people. These accusations distract from Congo’s inability to address the root causes of its conflicts,” Rwandan musician and activist Jaques Murigande, also known as Mighty Popo, tells OkayAfrica.

Meanwhile, Congolese theologian José. D., who now lives in the UK, challenges Rwanda’s denials. Preferring to keep his surname private for fear of retaliation back home, he tells OkayAfrica, “M23 is a group of Rwandan and Ugandan mercenaries used by multinationals to loot mineral resources in Congo. Rwanda is not ensuring security for anyone; they are serving Western multinationals by destabilizing Congo.”

Historical and regional context

Eastern Congo’s instability has roots in the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide when Hutu extremists fled into Congo and formed armed groups like the FDLR. Rwanda sees the FDLR as an existential threat and has conducted military operations in Congo to neutralize the group, leading to accusations of interference in Congolese affairs.

“After stopping the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Rwanda prioritized building a strong, disciplined, and professional military. This effort, rooted in a Pan-African commitment, emphasizes the protection of vulnerable populations, particularly those threatened by genocidal ideologies,” states Mighty Popo. He further explains that Rwanda’s interventions are not solely military but holistic, focusing on rebuilding communities by constructing schools, roads, and other infrastructure.

What’s next?

With M23 now in Goma, the unrest threatens to spiral further, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. Efforts to broker peace through regional and international mediation have stalled mainly due to deep mistrust between the DRC and Rwanda.

Analysts argue that addressing systemic issues — such as the marginalization of Congolese Rwandophones, the exploitation of the region’s mineral wealth, and weak governance in the DRC — is essential to achieving lasting peace. For now, conflicting narratives and allegations of complicity obscure any meaningful resolution.