It’s been another strong quarter for regional peace and stability in central Africa, with Rwanda once again accused of treating eastern Congo like a low-budget military theme park. According to a confidential UN report—confidential in the same way your neighbour’s affair is confidential—Rwanda has been exercising what experts call “command and control” over the M23 rebel group, who’ve spent the year marching through mineral-rich territories like kids on a treasure hunt.
The report, soon to land with a heavy thud on the UN Security Council’s sanctions committee desk, paints a lively picture: Rwandan troops training rebels, supplying them with high-tech kit, and firing off surface-to-air missiles like it’s a garden party with fireworks. The experts estimate at least 6,000 Rwandan troops on Congolese soil earlier this year—although, in fairness, Kigali continues to insist its forces are there purely in self-defence. Against what, exactly, is less clear. Possibly gravity. Possibly bad vibes.
The United States, keen as ever to sprinkle its particular brand of diplomacy over the whole mess, has been brokering peace talks between Rwanda and Congo. The carrot: billions in Western investment. The stick: “very severe penalties, financial and otherwise,” according to President Trump, who hosted the two nations’ foreign ministers for a signature moment in Washington. Quite what the penalties will involve remains to be seen—though if history is any guide, expect strongly worded letters and maybe a frown.
Meanwhile, Qatar has also joined the diplomatic conga line, hosting parallel negotiations because, frankly, why not? There’s nothing like a little Middle Eastern mediation to add to the general confusion.
The report also includes an impressive array of accusations: systematic arms embargo violations, missile attacks on UN peacekeepers, and direct operational control over M23 advances and retreats. Not to be outdone, Congo is also under fire for allegedly hiring FDLR fighters and Wazalendo militias, showing that when it comes to breaking international rules, both sides are playing enthusiastically.
As for M23, their brief excursion towards Walikale—rich in minerals and strategic anxiety—ended with an orderly withdrawal, apparently on orders from Kigali. A rare example of punctual rebel compliance, if nothing else.
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