By Isolde Doubell
13/02/2025
An emergency summit addressing the armed conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was held this past weekend in the Tanzanian capital, Dar es Salaam. The summit was attended by the Rwandan head of state, Paul Kagame, and virtually by the DRC President, Félix Tshisekedi. Prime Minister Judith Suminwa of the DRC was there in person. Heads of state from the six-member East African Community (EAC) and the 16-member Southern African Development Community (SADC), of which South Africa is a member, were also present.
According to President Ramaphosa, one of the most significant outcomes was that the joint summit agreed on direct negotiations and dialogue resuming between all state and non-state parties, including M23. The summit called for an immediate ceasefire and a peaceful resolution of the conflict through the Luanda and Nairobi processes. The army chiefs on both sides were to meet within five days and “provide technical direction on an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.” It also called for the opening of humanitarian corridors to evacuate the dead and injured.
The armed conflict has spiralled since January as the Rwanda-backed rebel group, M23, seized the city of Goma, the provincial capital of the North Kivu Province in the east of the country. The latest UN figures suggest that 2,900 people have been killed since early January as a result of the hostilities between M23 and the armed forces of the DRC. Thousands have been forced to flee, resulting in 7,000 displaced people this year alone and more than two million in the last three years. Additionally, at least 20 peacekeepers have been killed, including 14 from South Africa.
With a history of 30 years of conflict in the region, it is expected that negotiations may break down — as they have several times in the last year — or that they will continue for months. We, as Christians, can pray that this time, the negotiations will indeed bear fruit and bring some stability to the people who are suffering.
DRC Background
The DRC is the second largest country in Africa and is endowed with exceptional natural resources, including minerals such as gold, diamonds, cobalt, and copper. The country has hydropower potential and significant arable land. Part of the country also lies within the Congo Basin, which stretches across several countries in Central Africa. At 2.4 million square kilometers, it is the second largest rainforest in the world, larger than the US state of Alaska.
(However, the DRC has the second-highest rate of deforestation in the world after Brazil. Each year, the DRC loses about 500,000 hectares. The primary causes are an increasing population requiring land for subsistence farming and charcoal production, the dominant energy source in the DRC.)
Most of the nation has unfortunately not benefited from the country’s wealth of resources. A long history of conflict, political instability, and authoritarian rule has led to an ongoing humanitarian crisis. Millions of people have been forcibly displaced, creating trauma and instability. Poor governance has also contributed to the DRC being ranked among the five poorest nations in the world.
Who Is the Rebel Group, M23?
M23 derives its name from the 23rd March Agreement of 2009, when the DRC government signed a ceasefire treaty with the Tutsi-majority National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), one of the numerous militant groups active since the Second Congo War. In the agreement, the CNDP was meant to become a political party, and its fighters were to integrate into the Congolese military. However, on 4 April 2012, 300 CNDP soldiers revolted because of ethnic discrimination and formed M23, claiming to be fighting for their ethnic rights.
M23 briefly occupied Goma at the end of 2012 but was defeated by Congolese forces and the UN the following year. The group re-emerged in late 2021, seizing large parts of North Kivu Province. There is substantial evidence that M23 is supported by Rwanda, even though President Kagame has denied any involvement. Last year, a UN experts’ report stated that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were fighting alongside M23.
What Are M23 and Other Countries’ Interest in the DRC?
Economic Issues
The DRC is home to some of the world’s largest reserves of metals and rare earth minerals, like cobalt, considered essential for the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles (EVs). As much as 70% of the world’s cobalt supply comes from the DRC. Coltan, used in gadgets like PlayStations and smartphones, is also plentiful. The US Department of Commerce estimates the country’s mineral deposits to be worth $24 trillion, most of them crucial to global technology.
The DRC’s mineral resources have long been illegally exploited. A UN experts’ report last December stated that M23 sends around 120 tons of coltan to Rwanda every four weeks. Rwanda has consistently denied these allegations of exploitation. Leaders of the rebel groups have also been accused of attacking and exploiting mining communities and using child labour in the mines.
A few other countries currently mine in the DRC, partnering with state mining companies. China controls 15 of the 17 cobalt mines, according to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Chinese concessions are granted in return for infrastructure projects in the DRC. Additionally, Switzerland-based Glencore owns two copper and cobalt mines, and the United Arab Emirates signed a $1.9 billion deal with a state mining company in July 2023 to develop four mines for tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold.
Security Concerns
After the 1994 Rwanda genocide, an estimated one million Hutus fled to the now-DRC, some of whom were responsible for the genocide. Rwanda claims the fighting in the DRC is merely to secure its borders in response to “repeated violations”. Rwanda also accuses the DRC of supporting these Hutu militias.
Why Has the UN Been in the Congo for So Long, and What Are They Doing?
The United Nations has had a peacekeeping force in the DRC since the late 1990s as a result of two large conflicts during that decade. It is the longest-running and one of the largest forces ever deployed by the UN. The UN assisted in rebuilding the country’s military and administration but has not succeeded in combating the rebel groups in the east.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has contributed to the UN’s peacekeeping efforts with troops, mainly from South Africa but also from Malawi and Tanzania. Their mandate is to support the DRC government (a SADC member) in restoring peace, security, and stability. The mandate’s wording implies that this is not merely a peacekeeping mission but involves active participation. There is pressure on President Ramaphosa to recall the South African troops after 14 were killed in the fighting.
Pray!
Although 91% of the DRC’s population professes Christianity (with 19% evangelical), there has been large-scale persecution and violence from Islamist groups towards Christians. Many churches have closed down in areas of conflict.
Civilians, especially in eastern DRC, are paying a heavy price for the conflict. Not only are they caught in the fighting—Amnesty International has accused both sides of using heavy weapons in densely populated areas—but many have also been displaced, wounded, sexually assaulted, forced into prostitution or child labour, and left without access to water, electricity, or food.
According to the World Food Programme, an estimated 25.6 million people are experiencing severe food insecurity. Sometimes, numbers can desensitise us, but we, as the global Church, must realise that behind these numbers are real people–faces and families who need our prayers.
Please join us in prayer for the following:
- That the peace talks will yield genuine results and that God will move mightily in both parties to bring stability to the affected areas.
- For intercessors to be raised up in the DRC who will pray consistently for God’s Kingdom to come and for the physical and spiritual restoration of those who have suffered from this conflict for so long.
- For the Church in the DRC to remain pure and strong, keeping its focus on Jesus and serving as a rock for the people around them.
