Two Fighter Jets Bomb Rebel Group M23 in Eastern DRC

More than 3,000 new Congolese military recruits are getting preliminary military training because of the resurgence of the rebel group M23 in Goma, DRC on Monday. Photo: Moses Sawasawa/Associated Press

The Congolese army deployed two Sukhoi-25 fighter jets against the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group on Tuesday morning. The bombs were released in the hills near the Ugandan border in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The two fighter jets were deployed in North Kivu, followed by two other helicopters on Sunday, as seen over Goma on Tuesday, according to the AFP correspondent. The bombing resulted in fighting on the ground in Rugari, a town north of Goma. The bombs were released in the villages of Chanzu and Musungati, about 22 miles from Rutshuru in North Kivu.

The attacks, reported by local residents and security, were performed to combat the existing predominantly Tutsi rebel group that started attacking parts of the DRC in the end of 2021. At that time, M23 began conquering the Rutshuru territory, including Bungana, a town along the border of Uganda. The rebel group first captured Goma in 2012 and were quickly taken down by a joint Congolese-UN offensive until they were resurrected last year. 

There was a resurgence of violence from M23 after weeks of peace on October 20, 2021. The group continued its incursion farther into the west of the nation, occupying several locals on National Road 2, an important route into Goma. 

According to Al Jazeera, M23’s most recent attacks started consistently occurring in May which killed dozens and forced over 40,000 people to flee in only a week. Another 200,000 people have been displaced since that time and the number is growing.

Current Congolese military officers have been stationed in Goma to help train new military recruits to help combat M23 on Monday. Photo: Moses Sawasawa/Associated Press

Rwanda protested against the two Congolese owned Sukhoi-25 fighter jets landing on a Rwandan airport in Rubavu near the Congolese border. Rwanda and the DRC have had a tense relationship because of M23. Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, said that Kigali supported M23. The tension resulted in the DRC expelling the Rwandan ambassador in late October. 

The expulsion of the Rwandan Ambassador, Vincent Karega, had been followed by months of tension between the two countries. Patrick Muyaya, a spokesperson for the Congolese government said, “Rwanda's persistent aggression against the DRC and its support for the M23 terrorist movement” made them exile the Rwandan Ambassador from the country. Rwanda continues to deny the accusations. Muyaya added, “a massive arrival of elements of the Rwandan element to support the M23 terrorists” have been detected.

In general, the accusation stems from Rwanda's conflict between Tutsi and Hutu groups that eventually led to the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Rwanda countered the DRC’s accusations against Rwanda with the DRC’s work with the Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, a Hutu rebel movement involved in the Rwandan genocide, which the DRC continues to deny.

The rebel group gets its name from a peace agreement done on May 23, 2009 by the Congolese government with the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), which M23 was a part of. Much of CNDP integrated with the Congolese military except for the minority Tutsi group that joined M23. The group has had close ties with the Rwandan Tutsi community, leading the Congolese government to believe that Rwanda is still responsible for their actions.

According to a report by the UN, experts said there is solid evidence that Kigali is involved in M23’s actions. The UN continues to support the DRC to stop the rebel group. They put out an announcement asking M23 to stop their violent actions since their resurgence to no avail. 

In preparation for the resurgence and recent attacks, the Congolese government recruited over 3,000 people to help combat the rebel group. Many of the displaced youth have opted to join the government’s effort to fight M23 allowing the military to rapidly increase.