The United Nations Security Council is set to vote on Friday on a resolution urging Rwanda’s military to cease its support for the M23 rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and to immediately withdraw all troops from Congolese territory “without preconditions.”
The M23 has taken control of the two largest cities in eastern Congo, raising concerns about a broader conflict. While Congo and the U.N. accuse Rwanda of arming and backing the M23, Rwanda denies the allegations, claiming it is protecting itself from Hutu militias that it says are fighting alongside the Congolese military.
The French-drafted U.N. resolution “strongly condemns the ongoing offensive and advances of the M23 in North-Kivu and South Kivu with the support of Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF)” and demands that the rebel group immediately halt hostilities and withdraw.
For the resolution to be adopted, it requires at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes from the United States, Russia, China, Britain, or France. According to several diplomats, the measure is expected to pass.
Congo has accused Rwanda of using the M23 as a proxy force to exploit its mineral resources, including gold and coltan, which are essential for smartphones and computers. In response, the U.S. has imposed sanctions on a Rwandan minister and a senior rebel leader for their alleged involvement in the conflict.
The resolution also condemns Congolese forces for providing “support to specific armed groups, in particular the FDLR, and calls for the cessation of such support and for the urgent implementation of commitments to neutralize the group.”
Rwanda, in turn, claims that Congo is collaborating with the FDLR. While the Congolese military has pledged to arrest any soldiers working with the FDLR, U.N. experts reported in December that the government continues to use FDLR fighters as proxies.
The M23 asserts that it is protecting Tutsi interests, particularly against Hutu militias like the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The FDLR was established by Hutus who fled Rwanda following their involvement in the 1994 genocide, which led to the deaths of nearly one million Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The U.N. draft resolution calls on the DRC and Rwanda to resume diplomatic discussions to reach a long-term peaceful solution.
The resurgence of the long-running insurgency has resulted in the deaths of several peacekeepers from the U.N. mission in Congo, MONUSCO.
The draft resolution also warns that “attacks against peacekeepers may constitute war crimes and that planning, directing, sponsoring or participating in attacks against MONUSCO peacekeepers constitutes a basis for sanctions.”
