War is again underway in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the M23 rebel forces having seized the city of Goma. The March 23 Movement (M23) is a rebel group formed in April 2012 by a group of around 300 soldiers protesting against the Congolese government’s failure to implement the peace agreement signed on 23 March 2009 between the government and the National Congress for the Defence of the People.
There is also an ethnic dimension to the conflict, with the M23 rebels being primarily Tutsis, and the Rwandan and Ugandan governments being accused of supporting them. While there seems to be no adequate justification for the rebels’ military actions, they do seem to have some legitimate grievances, including the government’s failure to abide by its promises and the widespread fraud in last November’s elections.
The question now is what the future holds for the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some commentators argue that the conflict threatens President Kabila’s grip on power. Kabila is sufficiently concerned that he has sought out talks with President Kagame of Rwanda and President Museveni of Uganda, the countries which are supposedly sponsoring the rebels. The rebels are demanding direct talks with Kabila, while the political powerbrokers in the country are adamantly opposed to such talks.