Article: https://allafrica.com/view/group/main/main/id/00083461.html
President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix Tshisekedi renewed accusations that Rwanda has been funding a rebel group called M23 in an address to the UN. This is after a recent report by the UN that confirmed the involvement of the Rwandan Military in funding M23. Tshisekedi said that Rwanda has provided “massive support both in war material and troops”. Tshisekedi also mentioned the M23 shooting down a MONUSCO Helicopter killing 8 blue helmets, which was a war crime. He mentioned that the actions of Rwanda and M23 had been documented and cross verified by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region and by various NGOs and Humanitarian Organisations.
I am not entirely aware of the political situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Rwanda’s reasons for funding M23 but I am familiar with the Rwandan genocide and the DRC’s involvement in it and the DRC’s unique biology, the DRC has the most substantial population of Chimpanzees and Gorillas. I am also aware that Rwanda has been accusing the DRC of attacking Rwanda on the border. The inherent nature of jungles makes it difficult to know if this is true or if the alleged attacks were even enacted by DRC’s military. In my opinion Rwanda should not continue funding M23 not for the sake of the DRC but more for the sake of the animals and plants living in the Jungle. Many of these animals are becoming increasing rare in the wild or extinct in the wild, because of these animals direct relation they are incredibly important to study, us losing natural populations of Chimpanzees and gorillas would be detrimental to the study of these creatures.
The UN and several NGOs have gotten involved in the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with M23, As stated in the Article M23 has even shot down a UN helicopter with 8 “blue helmets” inside of it, this is a serious war crime and its doubtless that individuals responsible and the leader of M23 will be tried and most likely found guilty of War Crimes. If this ends up happening Rwanda, who has been funding M23 would be in severe trouble. The UN is an IGO, they have become a major political power in the world. A few decades ago they had a major impact in the Rwandan Genocide, 2,500 UN troops, were deployed in Rwanda during the genocide, 22 were killed. If Rwanda was related to more deaths of UN soldiers it would be extremely embarrassing for them as a country and as a UN member.