The M23 rebels and the dynamics of protracted armed conflicts in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

This paper analyses the M23 rebels and the broader dynamics of protracted armed conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Drawing on qualitative methodologies and extensive field-based empirical data, including interviews with local communities, government officials, former and current warlords, and civil society actors, this paper challenges dominant academic narratives that often conflate the M23 rebels with Congolese Rwandophones, particularly the Banyamulenge and Banyarwanda. It critiques the widespread, but inaccurate tendency among some scholars to label M23 fighters as part of the Congolese Rwandophone population, despite substantial evidence, including repeated United Nations findings, indicating that the current M23 combatants are largely composed of more than 5,000 members of the Rwandan Defence Forces (RDF) operating on Congolese soil, who are not Congolese Rwandophones. Grounded in both field research and the author’s lived experience as a native of eastern DRC, the study explores how the M23 functions as a strategic proxy advancing Rwanda’s covert geopolitical and economic interests under the pretext of protecting Rwandophone populations. The paper reveals that Rwanda’s support for armed rebellion in eastern DRC seeks to entrench Kigali’s political and military influence by positioning Congolese Rwandophone elites, expanding access to mineral wealth, and advancing a long-term agenda of territorial and political control in North and South Kivu. It further contends that Rwanda promotes sustained destabilization through proxy forces such as the M23 to enable continued illicit exploitation of resources, while also invoking pre-colonial territorial narratives to legitimize potential annexation claims. The paper further critiques the DRC government’s flawed peace strategies, which often reinforce cycles of violence by legitimizing armed groups through power-sharing arrangements. By offering evidence-based analysis and concrete policy recommendations, this study contributes to the discourse on conflict transformation and sustainable peacebuilding in the eastern DRC.