The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Rwandan-backed March 23 Movement (M23) have agreed to a “commitment to an immediate cessation of hostilities,” according to the New York Times. Rwanda has been accused of both financing and directing the M23 by the United States and the United Nations.
The negotiated ceasefire is currently temporary in nature. With previous stalemates in long-term agreements, it is very possible that both sides are preparing for continued escalation; nevertheless, this is an opening to a lasting peace.
The agreement comes as a welcome surprise, as the Congolese president Felix Tshisekedi has said the country would not negotiate directly with M23. The militia M23 has gained control of large areas of The Congo; although the size of Congo’s army is far greater than both M23 and Rwanda with between 100,000 and 200,000 troops. In 2023, President Tshisekedi tried to strengthen his country’s army by doubling the military budget from $371 million to $761 million, which is significantly larger than Rwanda’s $171 million; however, the Congolese army buildup has taken time, and the Congolese government has continued to look more and more powerless with the military being unable to capture territory back from the M23.
The history of the fighting begins with the Rwandan genocide in 1994. The M23 are ethnic Tutsis; during the Rwandan genocide, 800,000 people were slaughtered with a majority of the deaths being ethnic Tutsis. The genocide was led by Hutu extremists and, after 1994, fled to the DRC fearing revenge from the Tutsis. The DRC was invaded by Rwanda twice with the stated reason of going after some of the people who were responsible for the genocide, according to the BBC.
In 2022, after five years of dormancy, M23 rebels resurfaced and gained control of a large amount of territory in the North Kivu province in July 2023. In early 2025, the fighting between Congolese militant groups and security forces grew at a fast pace, resulting in the M23’s capture of Goma, a regional hub for the Eastern DRC on the border of Rwanda. This offensive was directly supported by Rwanda by around three to four thousand ground troops.
The core of this conflict between the DRC and the M23 is mineral wealth. Both the Democratic Republic of Congo and multiple UN reports have reported that Rwanda is using the conflict to loot Congolese minerals. The M23 has seized several mining areas, sending 120 tons of minerals every four weeks to Rwanda. Rwanda in recent years has seen a notable rise in mineral exports which is believed to be from the DRC, according to the BBC. Both the seizing of territory and wealthy mines by the M23 have put the DRC in a position that could make a peace deal more favorable than ever for them.
Several ceasefires have been agreed to in the past between the DRC and M23, but failed to result in long-term peace. The latest agreement is being mediated by Qatar, but the rebels refused to attend peace talks in Angola last month. If peace talks continue and result in a long-term agreement, the suffering of this conflict could finally ease its grip on the region.
