SILENT WARS

Since 2012, the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has pitted the Congolese government against armed groups, including the M23, a rebel movement active in the east of the country. This conflict is part of a chronic instability inherited from the Congo wars (1996-2003) and ethnic and regional tensions exacerbated by the involvement of neighboring powers, notably Rwanda and Uganda.

The M23, made up of mostly Tutsi former Congolese soldiers, rebelled in 2012, accusing Kinshasa of failing to respect peace agreements. After a military defeat in 2013, the group resurfaced in 2021 and launched a major offensive in 2022, seizing strategic territories in North Kivu. The Congolese army attempted to contain the rebel advance, while the international community called for dialogue, without success.

The fighting is marked by massacres, mass displacements and accusations of Rwandan support for the M23, which Kigali denies. The Congolese army carries out offensives with the support of local armed groups and foreign forces, exacerbating the chaos. The civilian population is the main victim: over 7 million people are displaced, sexual violence is used as a weapon of war, and access to basic services is limited.

Attempts at mediation, notably by the African Union and the East African Community, have been to no avail. Despite diplomatic and military efforts, the conflict is bogged down, plunging eastern DRC into an endless humanitarian and security crisis.

• CARE
• Médecins du Monde

• Conflict in eastern DRC: what we know about the Qatar mediation, RFI
• Conflict in eastern DRC: a dramatic human toll, RFI
• In the DRC, M23 rebels continue their rapid advance, Mediapart
• Democratic Republic of Congo: Civilians Threatened by the Escalation of the Conflict in the East, Amnesty (2025)