Another major war is looming – and western support for Rwanda is fuelling it | Dino Mahtani
GuardianJAN 29
DR Congo: M23 Advances Toward Strategic Mining Town
Above: Corneille Nangaa (left) arrives at the local government offices in Bukavu on March 1, 2025 as M23-appointed authorities were sworn in the city located in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Image copyright: Glody Murhabazi/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Facts
Multiple sources said that the anti-government March 23 Movement (M23) armed group further expanded its control in North Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on Sunday, seizing Nyabiondo, in Masisi territory, on the road to the strategic mining town of Walikale.
This comes as the rebels launched a large-scale assault on the village located about 100 km (62 miles) north of North Kivu's M23-controlled capital of Goma that morning, with widespread shooting reported as the M23 clashed with pro-government militias.
According to an internal memo from the UN that news outlets obtained access to on Sunday, fighting near the Tambi village, also in Masisi territory, last week left dozens of civilians dead after pro-government forces attacked M23 positions.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
There's a new major war in the making in the DRC, and the West is ultimately to blame for it due to its complacency toward its ally, Rwanda. It's unacceptable that evidence of Rwandan support for ethnic Tutsi insurgencies has been played down for so long. Time is running short to prevent even worse consequences.
Pro-establishment narrative
It's undeniable that the international community must help find a political solution to this armed conflict before it's too late. That said, it's misguided and overly simplistic to point fingers at the West when deep-rooted regional tensions and the weakness of the Congolese Army are actually to blame.