Rebel retreat: Can the Congolese army build on a rare victory?

The Economist

THE army of the Democratic Republic of Congo is not used to being feted with palm leaves. It is also unaccustomed to winning. Its men are better known for rape and pillage. But a snap offensive against rebels in the eastern province of North Kivu which began on October 25th brought a rare military victory.

“They fought well and they behaved well,” said a surprised observer of the troops, who were welcomed by cheering crowds in Rutshuru, the northernmost town they have reached. The government forces did not do it alone. They were helped by a strengthened UN “intervention brigade” and faced a demoralised foe. The M23 mutineers, named after the date of a failed past peace accord in March 2009, were crippled by in-fighting and in the past year by Rwanda’s reduction of the support it once gave.

The rebels, whom Rwanda still denies it backs, suffered heavy casualties on October 26th-27th, trying to defend their frontline positions north of the regional capital, Goma. Their leader, Sultani Makenga, with several wounded men in tow, headed first for Bunagana, an outpost that soon fell as well, and then possibly onwards to the nearby border with Uganda. Hundreds more are reported to have defected.

The UN’s bullish new special envoy, Martin Kobler, said the M23, which briefly occupied Goma last year, was finished as a military force. “The era of cohabitation between armed groups and the UN is over,” he told a local radio station.

Africa: 'Haze of Silence Over Rwandan Involvement in DRC' - Highlights of the Mid-Term Report of the UN Group of Experts

Kris Berwouts
All Africa


The Mid-Term Report of the sometimes controversial UN Group of Experts focuses on the major events of the conflict in eastern Congo since the beginning of the year.

Predictably, one of the main subjects is the fighting within M23 between Sultani Makenga and Bosco Ntaganda's factions. Tensions already existed in 2012 and came to the surface after M23 dramatically took Goma. Under international pressure Makenga wanted to leave town, while Ntaganda preferred to remain in the provincial capital. When they finally withdrew on December 1st 2012, Ntaganda and Makenga clashed over the division of the goods looted from the city. The leadership crisis also crystallized in the same period around appointments: both leaders wanted to place their officers and cadres in key positions within the movement.

The report describes how fighting broke out between the two factions on February 28th 2013. Two weeks later, Makenga defeated his adversary and on March 15th Ntaganda crossed the border into Rwanda using a small path in the Gasizi area. According to different sources interviewed by the Expert Panel, Bosco was brought to Kigali with the help of his family. He arrived at the United States embassy on March 18th where he requested to be transferred to the ICC. This entire operation took place, according to the report, without the prior knowledge of Rwandan authorities.

The report refers several times (without giving any details) to the role Rwanda played in the internal struggle. On the one hand, Makenga was supported by demobilized Rwandan soldiers from Rwanda. At the same time, Rwandan officials dismantled Ntaganda's network of support and recruitment in Rwanda. Three interviewees confirmed that groups of demobilized Rwandan soldiers had infiltrated into the DRC during the two weeks of fighting to assist Makenga.

After the confrontations had ended (the Group of Experts estimates that over 200 combatants from both factions died during the fighting), M23 has continued to recruit in Rwanda and to enlist demobilized Rwandan soldiers. Some Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) officers have also held meetings with M23 commanders and impeded the voluntary repatriation of M23 combatants to Rwanda.

Congo's Most Powerful Rebel Speaks

Timo Mueller & Christoph Vogel
Real Clear World

It was a rainy Sunday afternoon in early April when we called "Brigadier General" Sultani Makenga, the military leader of M23, currently one of the strongest armed groups in eastern Congo. Working as field researchers in the Kivus, we wanted to engage with him face-to-face to capture his take on the DR Congo's state of affairs and learn first-hand about the latest developments inside the rebellion. M23 was consumed by heavy infighting in recent weeks, after latent fractions and fissures between Makenga and his rival Bosco Ntaganda erupted into open and violent conflict. In the ensuing whirlwind of events, Makenga regained the upper hand in late March, and Ntaganda surrendered to the International Criminal Court, leaving many of his men with no choice but to re-defect.

The initial telephone conversation was an unanticipated success. With little hesitation, Makenga agreed to meet us. The ensuing organizational logistics were simple and matter of fact, conducted via text message informing us of his whereabouts north of the provincial capital of Goma. As an individual sanctioned by the United Nations and the United States government, he remained relatively unconcerned and non-clandestine about his location.