Link to article: https://apnews.com/article/congo-rebels-attack-north-kivu-tshisekedi-cffa9b1c0d3a108b6e0db602a406cb2d
The military of the Congo attacked 3 villages and killed 12 or more villagers on the eastern side of the Congo. The militants are believed to have been a part of an islamic extremist group. The president of the Congo has refused to have any discussions with Rwanda on the issue. The eastern side of the Congo has been a mini shatterbelt of its own, with constant violence. One of the major powers in the eastern Congo is the terrorist group M23, who are believed to be funded by Rwanda. The Congo know that Rwanda is funding the terrorist and the president of the Congo has said, “No dialogue will take place with our aggressor as long as it occupies a portion of our territory”.
The issue of the Congo attacking their own eastern side stems from the geography of the Congo. The Congo has a large rainforest in the center of it, which splits the east from the west. This poses an issue of command as the east has fallen to anarchy because of how isolated it is. M23 is a terrorist group sponsored by Rwanda who has maintained general control in the eastern Congo. One possible reason that Rwanda sponsored these terrorists, could be that Rwanda hopes to one day claim that land for themselves, and the terrorists are to weaken it for them. The refusal to speak to Rwanda about it makes it so the conflict will continue to go on with no diplomatic end.
In international relations class we have talked about nations and their approach to solving conflicts. In this instance the Congo has decided to remove the terrorists by force in an armed conflict, the terrorists are not an insurgency because as far as is known they don’t want control of the government. The issue which has arose is that the Congo has caught civilian casualties while searching for the terrorists. The Congo has decided to not talk at all with Rwanda about their funding of the terrorists, and just attempt to take them out themselves. The future of the region is likely to have continually raised tensions, unless the Congo or Rwanda folds.