A dispute has erupted between the M23 rebels and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) over the possibility of renewed fighting in the troubled province of North Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The region has been plagued by conflict between the FARDC and M23 rebels since March 2022.
The fighting resulted in the capture of several areas in the province, including the Uganda-DR Congo borders of Bunagana and Busanza, by the rebels. However, in late 2022, the East African Community Regional Force (EAC-RF) intervened and managed to reclaim the captured territories. This deployment of EAC-RF troops brought a temporary halt to the hostilities and the M23 rebels withdrew from their captured positions.
Nevertheless, in a statement dated May 29, 2023, and released on May 31, 2023, the FARDC national spokesperson, Major General Sylvain Ekenge Bomusa Efomi, accused the M23 rebels of continuing to train fighters in Txhanzu, a neighboring country, Rwanda. He also alleged that the rebels were relocating to their former positions in Kibumba and Rugari in Rutshuru territory, where forward headquarters have been established.
According to Ekenge, the M23 rebels’ objective is to launch a new attack on the city of Goma, with the intention of creating a humanitarian crisis and insecurity. He claims that this violates the Nairobi and Luanda agreements and commitments. Ekenge called on the national and international community, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in DR Congo (MONUSCO), the Verification Mechanisms, and the EAC Regional Force to intervene and ensure that the rebels adhere to the agreements.
In response, Major Willy Ngoma, the M23 rebels’ military spokesperson, released a statement dismissing the FARDC’s accusations as false. “Contrary to the undue and distorted remarks of the government, which only aims to mislead public opinion; #M23 never prepares for war, but rather dialogue. On the other hand, it is the government with their allies of FDLR who prepare war to create chaos”, Ngoma claims.
These developments occur as the timeline for the EAC Regional Force is set to expire on June 1, 2023. DR Congo President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo recently hinted at replacing the EAC-RF troops with troops from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), accusing the EAC-RF of failing to launch an assault on the M23 rebels, as some locals, politicians, and activists had expected.
The DR Congo government has consistently accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels, although both the rebels and Rwanda have vehemently denied these allegations. The M23 rebels claim to be fighting against corrupt leadership characterized by xenophobia and discrimination.
