For several years, diplomatic relations have been tense between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. Felix Tshisekedi, the Congolese head of state, accuses his counterpart Paul Kagame of Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels in their attempt to destabilize North Kivu in the DRC, particularly in Goma, a border region between the two countries. Since the beginning of October, the fighting has intensified. A situation that prompted the United States to call for a ceasefire.
Genesis of the Conflict
It was in the 1990s that the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) from Uganda, established themselves in the North Kivu province of the DRC. Over the years, they have sowed terror in this part of Congolese territory without the army ever succeeding in dislodging them.
In 2019, they formed an alliance with the Islamic State terrorist group, the M23; which was a Tutsi armed group in the DRC, originally ousted out of Rwanda in 2013.
These unified terrorist groups have therefore come together to create a deep instability in the Province of North Kivu, second largest after Kinshasa. For the DRC government, the M23 rebels are supported and helped by Rwanda. A United Nations mission confirmed this and even added that the Rwandan army is carrying out incursions into North Kivu regions. Accusations that Paul Kagame and his government naturally refute.
The fighting has intensified to the point that it is nearing Goma, the capital of North Kivu. Since October 1, more than 200,000 civilians have deserted their homes, the deaths are numbered in the thousands and the populations cry out in dismay.
American Mediation
The USA is trying to broker an immediate ceasefire between the two countries. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken separately contacted the two presidents by telephone. For him, the two entities should quickly reach a diplomatic exit. Blinken, according to the statement released by the US State Department, requested a withdrawal of military troops from North Kivu to quiet the tensions in the region. Will the United States succeed where regional mediation failed?
Indeed, the African Union had designated Angola to play mediator. But this mediation failed miserably and the fighting intensified. Some observers denounce hypocrisy on the part of Westerners. They publicly acknowledge that Rwanda is helping the rebels but take no action against Kigali. France, for example, with Kagame as a accomplice, wants to destabilize the Tshisekedi regime to resume the exploitation of DRC mines.
