Sat Feb 15 20:18:00 UTC 2025: ## M23 Militia’s Advance in Congo Raises Concerns of Rwandan Proxy War

**Goma, DRC (Feb 16, 2025)** — The M23 rebel group, a militia claiming to protect Congolese Tutsis, has captured the strategic city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and is advancing towards Bukavu, raising serious concerns about a potential Rwandan proxy war. The group, whose name derives from a failed 2009 peace agreement, has a history of ebb and flow, marked by periods of intense violence and relative dormancy.

Despite its purported goal of protecting Tutsis from Hutu militias, the M23 has been accused of numerous human rights abuses, including child slavery, rape, and other war crimes, by the United Nations. A UN report even alleges the presence of nearly 4,000 Rwandan troops fighting alongside the M23.

The M23’s actions are deeply intertwined with the complex history of the region, marked by ethnic tensions and conflict stemming from the Rwandan genocide of 1994. The group emerged from the remnants of the CNDP, itself linked to the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), which ended the genocide. While both the M23 and Rwandan President Paul Kagame claim to target Hutu militias in the DRC, the M23’s recent gains have fueled suspicions that it serves as a proxy for Rwanda, which stands to benefit from the DRC’s valuable coltan ore reserves.

The M23’s renewed offensive, beginning in late 2021, has resulted in the capture of several mineral-rich areas, culminating in the recent seizure of Goma. This advance has displaced over 700,000 people and resulted in the deaths of approximately 2,900 since January. The group’s previous surge in activity between 2012 and 2013, which included the brief capture of Goma, accounted for 20% of the violence in the DRC during that period before being driven back with the help of UN peacekeepers and reduced Rwandan support.

The current situation underscores a worrying resurgence of conflict in eastern Congo and raises critical questions about Rwanda’s involvement and the international community’s response to the M23’s aggression and human rights abuses. The ongoing violence poses a significant humanitarian crisis and threatens regional stability.

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