Link to article: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/fighting-east-congo-pushes-11000-refugees-into-uganda-2021-11-09/
According to the United Nations, a group of armed men in eastern Congo forced 11,000 people across the border into Uganda. Two villages near the eastern border with Uganda and Rwanda were seized by fighters from the M23 rebel group; however, they deny involvement. UN refugee agency UNHCR has stated that the rush into Uganda was the biggest single-day rush in more than a year for the nation. In a statement given by UNHCR, they state, “Uganda’s borders are closed to asylum-seekers due to COVID-19 restrictions, but the government has once again applied a humanitarian exception and granted safe passage to people seeking safety,”. As stated earlier, the M23 rebel group is being accused of having involvement in the surge. UN investigators have accused Rwanda and Uganda in the past of supporting the M23, but both states have denied these claims. Rwanda’s army, in particular, rejects this idea. In their statement given Tuesday, they state that the M23 group is based in Uganda where the attack first occurred. Uganda did not respond to the request.
In my opinion, Uganda needs to address the M23 allegations in order to settle disputes between them and Rwanda. Because of the number of people caught across the border, it is really important that the rebel group is ruled out. On the contrary, M23 has been said to be inactive since 2013. Also, according to the article, these allegations have been going on since the two regional wars in the Congo. For the region, a lasting impact would be that the borders have been closed, so anyone trying to cross is now stuck in their original country. As for why I think this happened, it is quite clear it is due to fighting between armed men and the army in the eastern part of the Congo.
This relates to class because it involves a conflict between two states: Uganda and Rwanda. It also involves the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is a conflict involving the military. Looking at this from the levels of analysis, you could also say this relates on a state level. Also, it references the UN and the UNHCR which is an IGO. An IGO is an intergovernmental organization. They can be political, economic, cultural, or military-related. The UN is a political IGO because it is dedicated to global and regional political organizations. However, it could technically fall under all four categories depending on the way you look at it. Another way this could relate to class is by the discussion of non-state actors, which is what the M23 group is considered, as they are a rebel/terrorist group. All in all, this is a good article that relates to class due to its mention of an IGO and its other state-related content.