War in Central Africa between the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the M23 rebel group, based in the country’s North Kivu region, has escalated since January. Dozens have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in the past few weeks. Tensions in Eastern Congo are also rising and there are fears that this conflict, which has been raging for over two years now, could escalate into an all-out war between the DRC and Rwanda. Kigali’s U.N. Ambassador, Ernest Rwamucyo, stated that “we are at the brink of a very serious catastrophe in the region.”

Both nations are amassing their forces along the shared border, with the Congolese army being mainly comprised of members of the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda), an armed group whose members allegedly committed atrocities during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Conversely, the M23 rebel group, which has opposed the DRC for 12 years, is militarily backed by Rwanda. There is currently no obvious path to de-escalation in the region. With the U.N. Refugee Agency claiming that Eastern Congo is experiencing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises in the world, U.S. Deputy Ambassador, Robert Wood, has appealed to “regional diplomatic efforts, not military conflict, [being] the only path toward a negotiated solution and sustainable peace.” As fears mount that M23 will be soon advancing on the regional capital of Goma, there may not be much time left before the whole country descends into even further chaos.

Despite Deputy Ambassador Wood’s emphasis on “regional” diplomatic efforts being the solution to this problem, the international community’s efforts to resolve this conflict cannot be understated either. However, with other conflicts currently ongoing in Ukraine and Gaza, the Congo is not at the top of the international community’s priority list. France did call an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council, but apart from condemning the conflict, little has been done. As the DRC has been engulfed in conflict for over 30 years now, the U.N. in the past has intervened militarily in the country. However, they have never been able to guarantee a lasting peace, suggesting that a more ‘holistic’ approach is necessary. Conflict in the Congo began with the Rwandan genocide, which ultimately was the fault of colonialism. As Europe and the West is responsible for causing this domino effect, it should be responsible for helping to create a lasting peace.

Rwanda, a former Belgian colony, succumbed to brutal violence in 1994 due toracialised hierarchies imposed by European colonisers, and two years later, this violence spilled over into the DRC, culminating in the First Congo War of 1996-97. The Second Congo War began barely a year later and only ended in 2003 once the U.N. and various African countries got involved. Following many years of war, there were hundreds of armed militia groups scattered throughout the country, the largest of which being M23. In 2012 , they led a revolt advocating for Tutsi rights, one of the ethnic groups in the region, and opposed the Tutsi’s poor treatment at the hands of the army. They briefly occupied the regional capital of Goma before being pushed out towards the Rwandan border. In 2022, the M23 resurfaced and occupied towns in Northern Congo. M23 has been fighting the Congolese army ever since. Approximately six million people have been displaced from their homes and another six million have been murdered since the First Congo War began in 1996.

It is evident that the conflict in the Congo, and the wider region of Central Africa, stems from decades of fighting and disagreement. Unfortunately, there will be no quick fixes that can resolve all the issues between the Congo, the M23, and Rwanda. Therefore, it is imperative that every faction works towards creating a lasting peace as soon as possible. It may take many years for peace to come about, but a diplomatic peace mission spearheaded by the international community may be the only way to avoid the death of thousands of innocent lives.