UNITED NATIONS — Senior officials from the United Nations in Africa expressed grave concerns during an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council, highlighting that the recent activities of Rwanda-aligned rebel forces in the resource-rich eastern region of Congo pose a significant threat to regional stability.
“It is crucial that this council acts swiftly and decisively to prevent a broader regional conflict,” stated Bintou Keita, the U.N. special envoy for Congo. Huang Xia, the U.N. special envoy for the Great Lakes region—encompassing Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda—echoed her sentiment, warning that the advances made by the M23 rebel faction in eastern Congo and related developments indicate that “the likelihood of escalating hostilities on a regional scale is more pronounced now than ever.”
France’s representative to the U.N., Nicolas De Riviere, urged the council to promptly endorse a draft resolution proposed by France two weeks earlier. This resolution reinforces support for Congo’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, calls for the cessation of the M23 offensive, requests the withdrawal of Rwandan military forces, and emphasizes the need to revive diplomatic discussions urgently. “The threat of a regional war is escalating by the day,” he cautioned.
The M23 group is the most notable among the over 100 armed factions competing for control within eastern Congo, an area abundant in valuable minerals, including gold and coltan—an essential component in consumer electronics such as laptops and smartphones. According to U.N. reports, approximately 4,000 Rwandan troops are backing the M23, which has made aggressive claims about advancing towards Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, situated over 1,000 miles away.
In a rapid series of military operations over the past three weeks, the M23 has taken control of Goma, eastern Congo’s primary city, and seized Bukavu, the region’s second-largest city, just days ago. Keita, who also oversees the U.N. peacekeeping efforts in the area, reported to the Security Council that the M23 continues to expand its territorial gains, recently capturing the town of Kamanyola located at the confluence of Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi’s borders.
In response, Congo’s Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner demanded immediate action from the Security Council, insisting on the withdrawal of Rwandan forces. “These troops have violated international laws, inflicted death and devastation, and disregarded our sovereignty,” she asserted.
Rwanda’s U.N. Ambassador Ernest Rwamucyo advocated for an African-led approach to resolving the crisis, criticizing the Congolese president for pursuing sanctions from Western nations against Rwanda.
At present, the U.N. remains uncertain about the M23’s objectives, the motivations of its supporters, or how far they plan to extend their operations, according to Huang, the envoy for the Great Lakes region. “This situation needs to be halted swiftly to prevent the triggering of a widespread regional conflict, the ramifications of which could be catastrophic and undermine years of effort aimed at establishing stability in Central Africa,” he warned.
Additionally, this month, the U.N. Human Rights Council initiated a commission to investigate allegations of serious offenses, including reports of rape and extrajudicial killings committed by both the M23 and Congolese forces.
