Unarguably, the resurgence of the M23 rebel group is a major setback to absolute peace, stability, and security across the crisis-prone East and Central African region.
There is no breath of fresh air for conflicting parties at the moment – which underscores the glitches in past political resolutions. Life is becoming untenable for the civilian population as cross-border tension sputter on and off.
Increasingly, the embattled region plunges deeper into an abyss in the face of a renewed political rift between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda.
The less severe measure to promote peace and address the core interest of all parties hovers around diplomatic negotiation. However, a dovish resolve appears elusive with the strong-arm tactics of the rebel group, backed by their alleged sponsors.
Who are the M23 Rebels?
Known as the Congolese Revolutionary Army, the group largely made up of ethnic Tutsis came together in April 2012. Principally, M23 rebels are up against the DRC government and claim to defend Tutsi interests against ethnic Hutu armed groups.
The DRC had accused Rwanda and her president, Paul Kagame, a Tutsi, of backing the rebel group militarily.
Rwanda as well alleges that the DRC gave refuge to ethnic Hutus who carried out the 1994 genocide – one that came at a huge expense of human lives.
It is pertinent to reiterate the ripple effect of the 1994 Rwanda genocide across the East and Central African region. Consequently, that has resulted in decades of fraught relationships and long-standing conflict between neighbouring states.
Both Kinshasa and Kigali have accused each other of providing support to rival armed groups. The M23 rebel group, one of many operating in North Kivu Province, Eastern DRC, claims to protect and represent the interests of ethnic Tutsis in the state.
Rise to prominence
Interestingly, M23 is a faction from within the pro-Tutsi political armed militia – the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) which entered a peace accord with the DRC government on March 23, 2009.
The reluctance of Kinshasa to implement the peace agreement as one of the reasons articulated by dissatisfied members of the CNDP led to the formation of a new group: The March 23 Movement. The newly-formed group named itself in reference to the date of the peace accord signed between the DRC and CNDP in 2009.
M-23 fighters caught public attention in November 2012 after they captured Goma – the largest city on the eastern front of the DRC, and re-entered the spotlight in late 2021.
The resurgent group accused the DRC of failing to live up to decades-long promises and launched a major offensive in May after peace talks hit an impasse in April. However, could there be more to that?
Regional powers reaction
Mineral-rich eastern DRC, a fiercely contested territory between rival armed groups remains a flashpoint as the security situation worsens. The meeting of the East African Community (ECA) state leaders’ held in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 20 offers no prospect of a diplomatic solution.
The DRC is in grand approval of the deployment of regional forces to fight the resurgent group. But, does the military option offers the best course of action to water-down tensions?
Common challenges need shared approaches
The East and Central African region are undoubtedly confronted with an uphill battle. The latest escalation has uprooted thousands and caused many to flee to neighbouring Uganda for safety.
In May, the total world refugee population topped 100 million and the count is on. Renewed fighting in the region has forced more than 72,000 people to flee their homes and displaced 5.6 million more, according to the United Nations.
The military solution would do no good than add to the deplorable humanitarian crises across the region and produce undesirable consequences for the parties involved.
More so, if history is any guide, a ceasefire only pauses hostility between warring parties temporarily, they in no way resolve them. Conflict resolution should not be one-sided, but rather holistic.
The tweet by the African Union chair, Macky Sall, in May calling for calm and dialogue will help reconcile the differences between warring parties, slowly but surely, if championed.
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