The Situation in Rwanda

Specialized: United Nations Security Council

Topic: The Situation in Rwanda

A recent report from the Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the President of the United Nations Security Council indicates that Rwanda resumed their support of M23 in 2021. Renewed Rwandan support coincided with a resurgence of M23 operations in North Kivu, an eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), once again restarting a conflict that has spanned over 30 years. In response, Rwanda has issued claims that the DRC has been supporting Hutu rebels operating in Rwanda. The conflict was started 30 years ago, after the Rwanda’s majority Hutu government led a genocide against the minority Tutsi people. The genocide ended with the Rwandan civil war, which forced the Hutu government into exile in what is now the DRC. In Rwanda, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), fight in opposition to the Tutsi government. A number of highly ranked members in the FDLR were a part of the Hutu government forced into exile at the end of the Rwandan genocide in 1994. M23, or the March 23 Movement, is a militant insurgent group in the DRC consisting of Tutsis who opposed the Hutu rule in the DRC.

Both the FDLR and M23 primarily operate in the DRC, but it is believed that their ongoing conflict could spill over into Rwanda and the FDLR has carried out attacks in Rwanda. Neither M23 nor the FDLR are officially allied with Rwanda and the DRC. The DRC and Rwanda have been participating in peace talks and even agreed to a tentative cease-fire on August 1, 2024. However, the cease-fire agreement is only between the DRC and Rwanda, not the FDLR or M23 and tensions between Rwanda and the DRC remain high. South Africa has led the Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC), consisting of troops from South Africa, Tanzania, and Malawi to aid the Congolese army in eliminating the threat of M23 in the DRC since December of 2023.  The United Nations Security Council announced additional support for this mission through the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO). MONUSCO will be providing air support and logistical support for the SAMIDRC.

Much of the current conflict is taking place in the province of North Kivu, in the eastern DRC. North Kivu borders Uganda and Rwanda. North Kivu is rich in valuable resources such as coltan, cassiterite, diamonds, diamonds, cocoa, and charcoal. These resources are often used to acquire arms and fund the activities of groups in the region. Villages in North Kivu and along its borders have all been attacked by the FDLR, M23, and other groups. These attacks have displaced at least several hundred thousand people since 2006. The displacement of these people has forced Rwandans to seek refuge outside of the heart of Africa. This conflict is only pushing people further and further away from their homes, sometimes into countries that do not want or cannot accommodate them.

The United Nations Security Council must work to reduce tension between the DRC and Rwanda. Continued conflict, be it direct or by proxy through FDLR and M23, will only exacerbate the situation of the thousands of refugees spread across the DRC, Rwanda, Uganda, and half a dozen other nearby countries. Appearing to side with any one state or group may destabilize the entire region further. The presence of so many valuable natural resources in the region offers a strong incentive for all parties to covertly or overtly continue this conflict.

Focus Questions:

1. How can the UNSC keep the warring parties at the negotiating table?
2. How can the UNSC prevent the many warring groups from using natural resources pilfered from North Kivu to acquire funding for arms?
3. Given the presence of MONUSCO and SAMIDRC in the DRC, is there reason for similar forces, as either an extension of existing missions or new ones, to be deployed into Rwanda?

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