DR Congo’s former President Joseph Kabila has formed a new rebel movement incorporating Rwanda-backed forces, openly taking charge of the insurgency despite US sanctions against him.
The move deepens the political and security threat to President Félix Tshisekedi’s government and challenges Washington’s efforts to end fighting and secure access to the country’s critical minerals.
UN experts reported in June that Kabila’s growing prominence appeared intended to obscure Rwanda’s role by portraying the rebellion as a Congolese movement addressing a national problem. Rwanda has acknowledged defensive “security coordination” with the M23 insurgents, who have held large swaths of mineral-rich eastern DR Congo for more than a year. US sanctions against rebel leaders and Rwanda’s military, a Washington-brokered peace deal, and talks mediated by Qatar have so far failed to end the fighting.
Insecurity has complicated DR Congo’s hopes of profiting from rising demand for copper, coltan, and cobalt used in digital infrastructure and the energy transition. Washington has paired its peace efforts with a bid to loosen China’s grip on mining in the world’s largest cobalt producer.
— Ruben Nyanguila