Link to article: https://allafrica.com/view/group/main/main/id/00088724.html
Over the few years, there has been a resurgence of M23 attacks in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). These attacks have severely worsened over the last few weeks, displacing over 100,000 Congolese people. This has brought the total number of displaced people in the region to over 800,000, revealing a rising humanitarian crisis. The leaders of M23 have stated that their motives reside politically and in the name of human rights, but many governments around the world see the rich resources in Eastern Congo as a motivating factor as well. The conflict between Rwanda and the DRC remains between the dispute over Rwanda’s backing of the M23 group. The United States along with many other countries have also condemned Rwandan support of the group, yet the state still denies any sort of backing. Rwandan President Paul Kagame met with Angolan President Joao Lourenco in Luanda regarding the security matter to discuss the root of the conflict. The Angolan President is attempting to steer negotiations towards preventing the crisis from becoming a regional conflict. The President of the DRC, Felix Tshisekedi is also set to meet Kagame soon.
The M23 attacks are posing a more significant threat to the Democratic Republic of Congo as time goes on. The conflict is also coming at a terrible time for the DRC, as the United Nations are lessening the already insufficient support in Congo as the year goes on. The UN plans to have peacekeepers withdrawn by the end of the calendar year, which is not favorable for the Congolese people, many of whom are already getting displaced. Rwanda’s backing of the group is allowing them to cause havoc in the eastern part of Congo, now leading Congo to ramp up military force against the group and diplomatic attention towards Rwanda. The meetings seem like a positive aspect of the situation, but Rwanda’s denial of involvement will keep the two sides from making progress, keeping the DRC in the hole they are in. The lack of external help the DRC is receiving is placing all responsibility on the country’s plate. If the M23 group keeps pushing into the Congo, the conflict may become too significant for other countries in the region to remain uninvolved.
This conflict highlights the lack of justification that international law can bring. Many countries such as the United States and the DRC themselves are condemning Rwandan support of M23 forces. Despite this opposition, no country can truly do anything about this except for maybe impose financial blockings on Rwanda. The lack of overall UN effect when it comes to world peace and security is also brought to light in this, as they are decreasing support as the conflict is becoming more severe. It also highlights the lack of stable IGOs in Sub-Saharan Africa, as the DRC has not seen much outside help throughout the fighting.