M23 campaign (2022–present)

M23 campaign
Part of the Kivu conflict and the Democratic Republic of the Congo–Rwanda conflict

Military situation as of 19 March 2025
  Controlled by March 23 Movement and Nyatura's militia
  Controlled by Land Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and allied militias
Date27 March 2022 – present
(3 years, 5 months, 4 weeks and 1 day)
Location
North Kivu and South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Status

Ongoing

  • Conflict breaks out between Rwanda and the Congo
Territorial
changes
  • North Kivu: M23 captures centres of Rutshuru and Masisi territories as well as the provincial capital, Goma
  • South Kivu: M23 captures centres of Kalehe, Walungu, and Idjwi territories, as well as the provincial capital, Bukavu
Belligerents

RED-Tabara (from Feb 2025)[2]
Mai-Mai Rushaba (from March 2025)[3]
 Rwanda[a]

 DR Congo
MONUSCO
Template:Country data EAC EAC Regional Force
SADC Mission in DRC (until 2025)[19]
FDLR[6][20][21]
Wazalendo:
  • Nduma Defense of Congo-Renovated
  • Pro-government Mai-Mai[22]
  • Pro-government Nyatura factions[22]
  • APCLS[23]
Commanders and leaders
Bertrand Bisimwa[24][25]
Sultani Makenga (WIA)[13][26]
Yusuf Mboneza † (disputed)[26][27]
Léon Kanyamibwa[28]		 Félix Tshisekedi[21]
Pacifique Masunzu[29]
Peter Cirimwami Nkuba †[30]
Clément Bitangalo Bulime[28]
Philémon Yav Irung[28]
Constant Ndima Kongba[31]
Muhindo Lwanzo[32]
Francois-Xavier Aba van Ang[21]
Template:Country data EAC Jeff Mungai Nyagah[33]
Template:Country data EAC Alphaxard Kiugu[34]
Units involved
  • M23 forces
    • Bisimwa faction[24] (Revolutionary Army of Congo)[35]
    • Makenga faction[36]
  • Rwandan Defence Force (denied by Rwanda)[6][37]
Strength
Rebels:
100–200+ (Mar 2022)[35]
400+ (May 2022)[35]
6,000+ (Jan 2025)[44]
Rwanda:
c. 3,000–4,000[6][45][46]		 Unknown
2900[47]
900+[17]
750[18]
Casualties and losses
Unknown 1 helicopter shot down
1 helicopter shot down,[4] 29 killed[b]
  • 30,000 civilians displaced to Uganda[48]
  • 2.5 million displaced in total (as of 8 July 2024)[49][50]
  • 7,000 killed (25 Jan – 25 Feb)[51]
Template:Campaignbox Conflicts in Congo

The M23 campaign is a series of military attacks by the March 23 Movement (M23), a rebel group supported by Rwanda, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It started in March 2022. In November 2021, M23 began attacking the Congolese army (FARDC) and UN peacekeepers (MONUSCO), taking over military bases in Ndiza, Cyanzu, and Runyoni in North Kivu Province. At the same time, Uganda sent its army (UPDF) to the area to fight the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan rebel group active in North Kivu and Ituri provinces.[52][53][54][55]

The fighting got worse between March and June 2022, when M23 took control of important places in Rutshuru Territory, including the key border town of Bunagana. This made Congolese soldiers run into Uganda. Uganda said that Rwanda planned the attacks to weaken Uganda’s fight against the ADF. Rwanda, however, said Uganda was using M23 fighters to threaten Rwanda’s safety. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) said Rwanda was giving weapons to M23 and helping restart the rebellion. A United Nations report supported the DRC’s claim. Rwanda and M23 said the DRC was working with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and said their attacks were meant to protect the Banyamulenge people from FDLR attacks. A UN report also said Rwanda had already sent troops into Congo before the DRC and FDLR started working together. Experts said M23's comeback was more about money and business than about ethnic or security reasons.[56][52]

The fighting brought in more countries, and the East African Community (EAC) sent the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) to help calm the situation. On 26 January 2023, M23 captured the town of Kitchanga. Frustrated that EACRF wasn't doing enough, the Congolese government asked the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for help and also created a reserve army. This led to the rise of local militias called the Wazalendo movement near areas controlled by M23. In June 2023, Human Rights Watch reported that M23 committed serious crimes like illegal killings, sexual violence, and other war crimes, with Rwanda also being blamed. The UN Security Council (UNSC) called for punishments against M23 leaders and accused high-ranking Rwandan officials of being involved. By March 2024, M23 started more attacks, taking places like Rwindi and a fishing area called Vitshumbi near Lake Edward. A UN report in April said that 3,000 to 4,000 Rwandan soldiers were in eastern Congo, more than the 3,000 M23 fighters. In June 2024, M23 and Rwandan forces captured Kanyabayonga and Kirumba and moved into Lubero Territory for the first time. Peace talks failed after Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame did not show up at a planned meeting with Congo’s President Félix Tshisekedi and Angola’s President João Lourenço. Because of Rwanda’s actions, many believed that Rwanda’s main goal in eastern Congo was to get access to Kivu's valuable minerals, not just to protect its security.[57][58][59]

Beginning in January 2025, M23 began making major advances towards Goma and Bukavu, the provincial capitals of North Kivu and South Kivu, with alleged Rwandan backing, intensifying growing tensions between the two nations. By 30 January, M23 had captured all of Goma and began an advance towards Bukavu, capturing the town by 16 February. Following the capture of Goma, M23 announced their intentions to march on Kinshasa.[60]

Notes

  1. ↑ Rwandan involvement was first alleged by the DR Congo,[4] a claim which was later substantiated by the findings of researchers tasked by the United Nations.[5][6] Rwanda has denied its support for M23.[4]
  2. ↑ Eight killed (6 Pakistanis, 1 Russian, 1 Serbian) during helicopter crash,[4] 1 Moroccan killed in ground combat with M23.[10] Fourteen South Africans, 3 Malawians, 2 Tanzanians, 1 Uruguayan killed by M23 during the 2025 Goma offensive.

References

  1. ↑ "Hundreds of Congolese police join rebels in occupied city". Reuters. 22 February 2025. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  2. ↑ "Congo War Security Review". Critical Threats Project. 3 March 2025.
  3. ↑ "RDC: dans les hauts plateaux d'Uvira, l'AFC/M23 prend le contrôle des villages après l'allégeance d'un groupe des wazalendo" [DRC: In the Uvira highlands, the AFC/M23 takes control of villages after the allegiance of a Wazalendo group]. Actualite.cd (in French). 13 March 2025. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 "M23 rebels in DR Congo deny shooting down UN helicopter". BBC. 30 March 2022. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  5. ↑ "Tempête des tropiques: " Soutien militaire au M23, l'ONU enfonce le Rwanda "". Radio Okapi. 5 August 2022. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Rwanda Inside DRC, Aiding M23 – Report". VOA. 4 August 2022. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  7. ↑ "U.N. official praises Indian peacekeepers for thwarting attack in Congo". The Hindu. 27 May 2022. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  8. ↑ "DR Congo army accuses Rwanda of deploying soldiers 'to defend M23'". Daily Monitor. The East African. 9 June 2022. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "PHOTO DU JOUR DU SAMEDI 3 JUILLET 2022". MONUSCO. 3 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Goma: dernier hommage de la MONUSCO aux casques bleus tués au front". Radio Okapi. 1 August 2022. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Six peacekeepers killed as fighting rages in DRC". 24 News HD. AFP. 25 January 2025. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  12. ↑ Njie, Paul; Rukanga, Basillioh (6 February 2025). "Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera orders peacekeepers out of DR Congo". BBC News. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Schlindwein, Simone (30 March 2022). "Neue Kämpfe im Osten Kongos: UN-Blauhelme sterben" [New fighting in eastern Congo: UN peacekeepers die]. taz (in German). Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Robert Muhereza (17 June 2022). "Fresh fighting erupts in Bunagana". Daily Monitor. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Le Potentiel : " EAC: Des soldats burundais entrent officiellement en RDC "". Radio Okapi. 16 August 2022. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  16. ↑ Reporter, Times (18 February 2025). "Burundi is withdrawing troops from DR Congo, reports say". The New Times. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Kenya to deploy army to eastern DRC to fight M23 rebels". news24. 2 November 2022. Archived from the original on 2 November 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Ponnie, Sheila (28 December 2022). "South Sudan Sends 750 Troops to DRC". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 29 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  19. ↑ "Southern Africa regional bloc to withdraw troops from DRC amid M23 advance".
  20. ↑ "DR Congo: UN condemns M23 rebel attacks on peacekeeping force in North Kivu". Africa News. 23 May 2022. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 "DR Congo: Civilians at Risk Amid Resurgence of M23 Rebels". HRW. 1 June 2022. Archived from the original on 12 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Moise M. Bahati (22 November 2022). "Rwanda: New Footage Suggests FDLR Fighting Alongside DR Congo Army". The New Times. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  23. ↑ "M23 Rebels' Vow to Retreat at Odds With Hazy Reality in DR Congo". The Defense Post. 6 January 2023. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 James Karuhanga (26 May 2022). "Rwanda Will Not Be Drawn Into Intra-Congo Conflict – Govt Spokesperson". The New Times. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  25. ↑ Bisong Etahoben (15 April 2022). "M23 Rebel Movement Hands Over Captured DR Congo Soldiers To Red Cross". HumAngle. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "Le Potentiel : " Paix durable dans l'Est : Félix Tshisekedi: « La voie diplomatique demeure l'option idéale et privilégiée "". Radio Okapi. 27 June 2022. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  27. ↑ "Ibyihariye kuri Brig Gen Mboneza nimero ya kabiri mu ndwanyi za M23". Umuseke. 14 January 2023. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 "RDC: changement à la tête du commandement militaire au Nord-Kivu et en Ituri". Radio Okapi. 7 July 2022. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  29. ↑ Amanya, Samuel (21 December 2024). "Gen Masunzu Appointed Commander in North Kivu as Fighting Intensifies". Uganda Radio Network. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  30. ↑ "Governor of Congo's North Kivu province dies of his wounds in fighting with rebels, authorities say". Associated Press. 27 January 2025.
  31. ↑ "RDC: un nouveau gouverneur militaire intérimaire au Nord-Kivu". RFI. 20 September 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  32. ↑ "Fresh Clashes Between Army, M23 Rebels in DR Congo's East". Defense Post. 6 April 2022. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  33. ↑ Lumu, David (14 September 2022). "Kenyan Maj. Gen. Nyagah appointed as DRC joint force commander". New Vision. Archived from the original on 31 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  34. ↑ "Kenyan commander's exit exposes tussle over regional force mandate". The East African. Nation Media. 1 May 2023. Archived from the original on 3 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 35.3 Kinshasa, Rédaction (22 June 2022). "RDC: Recrutement, réarmement et réorganisation du M23, l'Ouganda et le Rwanda ont servi de base arrière". politico.cd. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  36. ↑ ICG 2022, pp. 10, 15.
  37. ↑ "Congo Says Rwandan Forces Supported Latest Rebel Attacks as Thousands Flee". VOA. Reuters. 12 June 2022. Archived from the original on 12 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  38. ↑ Bisong Etahoben (7 November 2022). "Rwandan Soldier Surrenders To UN In DR Congo". HumAngle. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  39. ↑ "Nord-Kivu: reprise des combats entre FARDC et M23 à Rutshuru". Radio Okapi. 6 June 2022. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  40. ↑ "DR Congo Deploys Fighter Jets Against M23 Rebels". The Defense Post. 8 November 2022. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  41. ↑ Robert Muhereza (14 June 2022). "Congolese soldiers flee as M23 rebels take over town". Daily Monitor. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  42. ↑ Djaffar Al Katanty (26 May 2022). "Heavy fighting as Congo tries to fend off resurgent M23 rebels". Reuters. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  43. ↑ "Dozens of Romanian mercenaries stranded in Congo amid rebel offensive". HRW. 27 January 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  44. ↑ Kabanda, Caleb; MacLean, Ruth; Ndebo, Guerchom (February 2025). "Life After a Rebel Takeover". The New York Times.
  45. ↑ "DR Congo Says Rwanda Operating 500 Troops Over Border". Defense Post. 9 June 2022. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  46. ↑ "Uganda provided support to M23 rebels in Congo, UN report says". Reuters. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  47. ↑ "SA Deploys 2900 troops Eastern DRC". SA Government News. 13 February 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  48. ↑ "DR Congo accuses Rwanda of 'invasion' as rebels attack town | DW | 14 June 2022". DW.COM. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  49. ↑ "Resurgent East Congo Violence Displaces 72,000 in One Week". U.S. News & World Report. 27 May 2022. Archived from the original on 28 July 2022.
  50. ↑ "Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on the Situation Concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo". United States mission to the United Nations. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  51. ↑ "Fighting in Congo has killed 7,000 since January, DRC prime minister says". Reuters. 24 February 2025.
  52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 "Le Rwanda et la RDC risquent la guerre avec l'émergence de la nouvelle rébellion du M23: Une explication" [Rwanda and DRC risk war with the emergence of the new M23 rebellion: An explanation]. Africa Center for Strategic Studies (in French). 11 July 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  53. ↑ "DRC-Uganda: Civilians must be protected during joint military operations". Amnesty International. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  54. ↑ "Uganda's Operation Shujaa in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Fighting the ADF or Securing Economic Interests?" (PDF). Center on International Cooperation. 14 June 2022. p. 4. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  55. ↑ "DR Congo 'authorises' Ugandan troops to hunt rebel group on its soil". France 24. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  56. ↑ Stearns, Jason (17 August 2022). "Faut-il parler des FDLR à chaque fois qu'on évoque le M23?" [Should we talk about the FDLR every time we talk about the M23?]. Congo Research Group (Groupe d'étude sur le Congo) (in French). Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  57. ↑ "Invasion rwandaise: le prétexte des FDLR en RDC détruit à l'UA" [Rwandan invasion: FDLR pretext in DRC destroyed at AU]. Mediacongo.net (in French). 16 February 2025. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  58. ↑ De lagarde, Antoine (30 January 2025). ""Quand l"Occident intervient au Congo, il est accusé de néocolonialisme et quand il n'intervient pas, il est accusé de s'en désintéresser"" ["When the West intervenes in the Congo, it is accused of neocolonialism and when it does not intervene, it is accused of not being interested".]. Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  59. ↑ Berthemet, Tanguy (29 January 2025). "RDC: le Kivu, une région riche en minerais, théâtre d'une guerre de trente ans" [DRC: Kivu, a region rich in minerals, scene of a thirty-year war]. Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  60. ↑ Asadu, Chinedu; Kabumba, Justin (30 January 2025). "Rwanda-backed rebels in eastern Congo say they plan to take their fight to the capital". AP News. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
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