{"id":262685,"date":"2025-03-20T06:38:07","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T06:38:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/20\/wealth-and-warfare-empower-a-rwanda-backed-militant-group-in-congo\/"},"modified":"2025-03-20T06:38:07","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T06:38:07","slug":"wealth-and-warfare-empower-a-rwanda-backed-militant-group-in-congo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/20\/wealth-and-warfare-empower-a-rwanda-backed-militant-group-in-congo\/","title":{"rendered":"Wealth and Warfare Empower a Rwanda-Backed Militant Group in Congo"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/21\/multimedia\/20int-congo-m23-3-wqcg\/21int-congo-m23-3-wqcg-facebookJumbo.jpg?ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Wealth and Warfare Empower a Rwanda-Backed Militant Group in Congo\" title=\"Wealth and Warfare Empower a Rwanda-Backed Militant Group in Congo\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Rare-earth minerals critical for smartphone manufacturing. Lucrative trafficking routes and dizzying stockpiles of weapons. The lives of millions of people. All are now under the control of the M23 militia and its powerful backer, Rwanda.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">M23 reigns over a vast territory in eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to lucrative mines and other natural resources. <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/05\/world\/africa\/congo-m23-rwanda-goma-burials.html\" title=\"\">In the major city of Goma<\/a>, on the border with Rwanda, M23\u2019s soldiers now patrol the streets and M23-appointed officials rule the city. <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/02\/world\/africa\/congo-army-weak-rwanda-m23.html\" title=\"\">Congo\u2019s large but inept army<\/a> has not slowed the group\u2019s advance, nor has <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/press.un.org\/en\/2025\/sc16004.doc.htm\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">condemnation by the United Nations Security Council<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">After months of fighting, the leaders of Congo and Rwanda held talks in Qatar this week and <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/19\/world\/africa\/congo-rwanda-conflict-ceasefire.html\" title=\"\">called for an immediate cease-fire<\/a>. M23 declined to comment on whether it would honor the cease-fire.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Last month, The Times traveled to Goma days after its capture by M23.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">M23, once a ragtag militia, now behaves like a governing entity in buzzing cities, lucrative coltan and gold mines, and strategic border crossings. Its immigration officers stamp passports, and in a city still scarred by deadly fighting, its leaders have urged young people to join its army so they can \u201cliberate Congo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The group has vowed to march on Kinshasa, Congo\u2019s capital. That makes M23 and Rwanda a threat to the sovereignty of Congo, the biggest country in sub-Saharan Africa by territory, with more than 100 million people, where millions of people have died in the last three decades in endless wars.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-65fa0844\">A powerful armed group<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">M23 \u2014 named after the March 23, 2009 date when it claims the Congolese government failed to honor an earlier peace agreement \u2014 has 6,000 to 9,000 fighters, according to the United Nations. Experts say the group is growing more powerful and sophisticated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI\u2019ve dealt with the Houthis in Yemen and rebel groups in the Central African Republic, but this tops everything I\u2019ve seen,\u201d Vivian van de Perre, the deputy head of the U.N. peacekeeping force based in Goma, said about M23\u2019s military capabilities and political ambitions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">M23\u2019s political leader is Corneille Nangaa, the former head of Congo\u2019s electoral commission. He claims the group can provide justice and safety to a long-suffering population.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cCongo\u2019s problems come from a lack of state\u2019s authority,\u201d Mr. Nangaa said in a recent interview with The New York Times Times in Goma. \u201cOur goal is to rebuild the state.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A burly man in his mid-50s, Mr. Nangaa was sitting in the lush garden of the former governor\u2019s house on the shores of Lake Kivu, a Congolese flag behind him. Days earlier, bodies of people killed by his fighters had washed up <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/19\/world\/africa\/rwanda-congo-m23-lake-kivu-conflict.html\" title=\"\">on the lakeshore<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In areas it has seized over the past year, M23 has carried out forced recruitment, including of children, extrajudicial killings, and sexual violence, according to U.N. researchers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Nangaa has claimed he will \u201cget rid of corruption and disorder.\u201d <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/news\/press-releases\/sm633\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">According to the United States<\/a>, which has twice sanctioned him, he oversaw the embezzlement of more than $100 million when he ran Congo\u2019s election commission and oversaw the election of President, Felix Tshisekedi.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In 2023, Mr. Nangaa fell out with the Tshisekedi government and created a coalition of rebel groups dedicated to overthrowing his former allies. That includes M23, the coalition\u2019s military arm in eastern Congo.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In early February, he promised tens of thousands of people gathered in a Goma stadium that justice, safety and development would soon prevail.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe\u2019re freed, we have security,\u201d said Serge Abeli, 25 and unemployed, as he left the stadium. \u201cNow the new leaders can tackle unemployment and the cost of living.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But Mr. Nangaa didn\u2019t mention the one thing Congo\u2019s people yearn for the most.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe just want peace,\u201d said C\u00e9lestin Selemani, 29 and also unemployed, on a Goma street on a recent morning. \u201cI grew up with war and I\u2019m tired of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-4685af30\">Minerals bound for Rwanda<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The conflict <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/28\/world\/africa\/congo-m23-rwanda.html#link-67387a6c\" title=\"\">has its roots in Rwanda\u2019s 1994 genocide<\/a>, which spilled over the border into Congo. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Like the leaders of Rwanda, M23 is mostly made up of people from the Tutsi ethnic group, who were targeted in the genocide. It has claimed it is in eastern Congo to protect fellow Tutsis from persecution. But according to <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/documents.un.org\/doc\/undoc\/gen\/n24\/373\/37\/pdf\/n2437337.pdf\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">a United Nations report<\/a>, M23 is actually planning for \u201cterritorial expansion and the long-term occupation and exploitation of conquered territories.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">And since the beginning of the year, some armed groups mainly made up of ethnic Hutus have joined M23, according to experts, showing the group\u2019s appeal beyond Tutsis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Rubaya mine, northeast of Goma, has one of the world\u2019s largest deposits of coltan \u2014 a mineral containing the \u201crare earth\u201d element tantalum, used in smartphones, knee replacements and explosive devices. Seen from the sky, the mine looks like a giant shovel has scarred the earth with thousands of tiny holes and streaks to extract its flesh.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">M23 collects at least $800,000 monthly in taxes from coltan production, according to <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.un.org\/en\/s\/2024\/969\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">U.N. experts<\/a>, who estimated that at least 150 tons of the mineral have been fraudulently exported to Rwanda.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">(Mr. Nangaa called the $800,000 estimate \u201ca joke.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The United Nations calls M23 a proxy army for Rwanda, with units directed by Rwandan soldiers and equipped with weapons supplied by Rwanda\u2019s military \u2014 antitank missiles, sophisticated automatic rifles and spoofing devices, among others.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">President Paul Kagame of Rwanda denies backing the group, but the thousands of Rwandan troops present in Goma and across eastern Congo leave little doubt, according to a dozen intelligence analysts, diplomats, researchers and humanitarian workers who interact with the group or study it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Nangaa condoned the presence of Rwandan troops in eastern Congo during his interview with The Times, arguing that Congo\u2019s problems threatened other countries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIf we are neighbors and your children throw stones at me over the fence, I\u2019ll tell you to ask your children to stop throwing stones at me,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you don\u2019t manage them, I\u2019ll deal with it myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-8\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-4cb7c2e7\">M23\u2019s iron-fisted rule<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It remains unclear if Mr. Nangaa will actually march on Kinshasa. Analysts say that a more realistic target might be the effective control of eastern Congo, an area roughly the size of Greece or Louisiana.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe more territories they take, the more bargaining power they have,\u201d said Stephanie Wolters, a specialist on Congo at the South African Institute of International Affairs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">M23 has imposed strict public order in newly conquered territories, but its control has remained fragile. Last month, an attack at an M23 rally attended by Mr. Nangaa in the city of Bukavu killed at least 11 people and injured dozens more. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">M23 has also used brutal methods, according to residents, civil society activists and <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2025\/03\/12\/dr-congo-rwanda-backed-m23-target-journalists-activists\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">human rights defenders<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-9\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">An artist was shot dead on the street as he was recording a video clip for <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WaoKX8AaXb4&amp;embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.okayafrica.com%2Fdelcat-idengo-killed-goma-congo%2F&amp;source_ve_path=MjM4NTE\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">a song<\/a> in which he accused M23 of invasion, looting and sexual violence, according to an eyewitness and an activist who knew him. M23 has denied involvement. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">M23 has also refused to reopen Goma\u2019s airport, depriving aid groups of their main lifeline to a city that until recently hosted more than a million displaced people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Instead, shortly after Goma\u2019s capture, M23 ordered displaced people sheltering in and around the city to return to their homes, arguing that the territories under M23\u2019s control were now safe. Humanitarian workers have warned that this could create another wave of displacement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Pascaline Furaha, a 25-year-old mother of four living in a camp on Goma\u2019s outskirts and expecting her fifth child, said she couldn\u2019t return home near Rubaya because of recent fighting there.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-10\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Despite the unstable security situation, M23 expelled nearly 700,000 people from the camps, according to U.N. figures. Tens of thousands of white tents dotting Goma\u2019s hills, each one sheltering a family like Ms. Furaha\u2019s, were dismantled in just a few days.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/20\/world\/africa\/m23-goma-congo-rwanda.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rare-earth minerals critical for smartphone manufacturing. Lucrative trafficking routes and dizzying stockpiles of weapons. The lives of millions of people. All are now under the control of the M23 militia and its powerful backer, Rwanda. M23 reigns over a vast territory in eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to lucrative mines and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":262686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/03\/21\/multimedia\/20int-congo-m23-3-wqcg\/21int-congo-m23-3-wqcg-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[460,193692,38993,179712,174773,174775,37303,88550,174774,659,177735,202344,177521,17549,202343,106,180774,60,181096,179713,23402,10976],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262685"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262685"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":262687,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262685\/revisions\/262687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/262686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}