03/02/2025
Understanding the Conflict in DRC
To understand what is happening in the eastern part of Congo, let's go back as far as 1885 at the Berlin Conference, during the Scramble for and Partition of Africa.
Boundaries were drawn, splitting tribes between countries. For example, we have the Maasai in Kenya and Tanzania, as well as the Tutsis and Hutus in the DRC and Rwanda.
Enter the M23
M23 is a Congolese rebel group composed primarily of Tutsis. It is named M23 (March 23) after an agreement signed between the group and the Congolese government on March 23, 2009.
But why are they fighting?
M23 claims to be fighting to defend its territory—the eastern part of Congo—from the Congolese government, which, they argue, wants to take their land and expel the Tutsis to Rwanda.
Why would a government fight to displace its own citizens?
Doesn’t make sense, right? It actually does. Here’s why.
There is no rule of law in the DRC. Sure, there’s a government in Kinshasa, but it is little more than a tool used by foreign powers to siphon off the rich minerals of eastern Congo. These countries have armed the Congolese army and various militias to dispossess the Tutsis of their land so they can exploit the region’s vast mineral wealth.
What do the Tutsis in eastern Congo do?
They do what anyone would do: they take up arms and defend themselves—hence, the formation of M23.
How does Rwanda come in?
It is 1994. The Hutus have just committed genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda. The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), led by Paul Kagame, a Tutsi, chases the Hutus out of town. Many Hutu militants flee to the DRC, where they regroup and plot to overthrow Kagame’s government.
Let’s hold that thought for a minute.
The Tutsis in the DRC and the Tutsis in Rwanda are one people, separated only by an imaginary boundary drawn by colonialists. So, when the Tutsis in the DRC face persecution from their own government, they turn to their brothers in Rwanda for help. Coincidentally, there is a Tutsi-led government in Rwanda.
How does Rwanda benefit? Two ways. One. Mineral Exports – The Tutsis in eastern Congo cannot export their minerals through Kinshasa, so Kigali becomes their safest and most strategic route. Rwanda benefits from this trade.
Two. National Security – Remember the Hutu rebels in the DRC who want to topple Kagame’s government? Kigali keeps them in check by backing the Tutsis in the DRC.
