Topic: 2024-The Situation in Rwanda
Country: United States of America
Delegate Name: Alayna Mack
Topic: The Situation in Rwanda
Representing: US
Delegate: Alayna Mack
School: Francis W Parker
The March 23 Movement (M23) is a group consisting of mostly Tutsi people, an ethnic group originating in Rwanda, that was previously known as the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP). It emerged in 2012 with the goal of protecting ethnic Tutsi people in the DRC. In conjunction with this goal, M23 also aimed to address the corruption within the DRC’s government and implement the 2009 March 23 Peace agreement. The point of this contract is to specifically outline ways to recognize the CNDP as a political party. Despite these efforts, the M23 group has been accused of many human rights violations, including execution and rape. They have displaced thousands of people within the DRC and abroad. In 2012, the M23 gained control over the North Kivu province and the capital Goma. However in 2013, just one year later, the group was defeated by UN peacekeepers and the surviving M23 members were pushed towards Rwanda and Uganda. Despite this, the M23 rebanded in 2021 with the help of the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF). As of 2023, clashes between them and the DRC government have increased dramatically. M23 also works with the Congo River Alliance (Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC)). The AFC is another political military group who recruits from the Congo military. They do public outreach for M23 and seek to expand M23.
It is vastly believed that Rwanda offers much support to M23. Reports produced by the UN claim that Rwanda currently supports M23. These reports suggest that Rwanda provides the M23 with weapons and ammunition along with military assistance. UN experts speculate that there are around 3,000 to 4,000 Rwandan soldiers fighting with M23. Some of the suspected reasoning for the Rwandan support of M23 stems from the presence of ethnic Hutu people in the DRC. Many of these ethnic Hutu’s were a part of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) which is the group responsible for the 1994 Rwandan genocide of Tutsi people. M23 denies Rwanda’s involvement in the organization saying that the “obsession with establishing a connection between M23 and Rwanda participates in fuelling the hate ideology which is the root cause of the violence” in the DRC.
In February of 2024, a US state department official called on Rwanda to remove their military from within the Congo and condemned the recent escalation of the conflict which has caused thousands to flee to Goma. However, they also criticized the DRC for their support of the FDLR. On July 25, 2024, the US imposed sanctions on the M23. The reasoning being “fueling this deadly conflict and exacerbating a humanitarian crisis in eastern DRC” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson
