UN: Uganda, Rwanda Backing M23 Rebels in DR Congo

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Facts

  • According to a recent UN report, the Ugandan army backed the M23 rebel group operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with approximately 3K-4K Rwandan soldiers fighting alongside the rebels.1
  • Commissioned by the UN Security Council, the report points out Rwanda's significant military involvement, influence, and responsibility in the conflict and found that Kigali has 'de facto control' over rebel operations.2
  • The UN experts — citing authenticated photos, drone footage, video recordings, witness statements, and intelligence data — estimated that the Rwandan troops were 'matching if not surpassing' the number of M23 soldiers, put at about 3K.3
  • While Uganda disputed the report's findings, Rwanda didn't deny the allegation, claiming that Kinshasa lacks the political will to resolve the conflict in the country's east, which has substantial mineral resources.4
  • Meanwhile, the head of the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bintou Keita, on Monday warned of the M23's 'rapid expansion' in the DRC's eastern North Kivu region and the conflict's spread to South Kivu.5

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2France 24, 3RFI, 4BBC News and 5Africanews.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by The New Times. The headlines are further evidence of the selective reporting on the conflict in eastern DRC and its context. For example, there's no mention of the fact that the UN accused Kinshasa of backing the UN-sanctioned FDLR rebels in eastern Congo. Formed after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, the FDLR and its militias are responsible for the atrocities against the Congolese Tutsi communities, which the M23 aims to protect. As long as Kinshasa plays the victim, there will be no peace.
  • Narrative B, as provided by ChimpReports. The UN report confirms Rwanda and Uganda's support of the M23 to gain control of the vast mineral resources in eastern DRC. The resulting destabilization of the country and the entire Great Lakes region is the main reason for the enduring humanitarian disaster, and the international community must finally take action to put an end to Rwanda's and Uganda's covert activities. Kinshasa remains open to a political solution to the conflict but will defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty by all means.

Predictions