Members of the Congolese Army sentenced to death for desertion and cowardice when fighting M23 rebels sit inside the military courtroom during their trial in Goma, North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo May 3, 2024.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Innocent Kasereka sits in a rundown hospital in the war-torn east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), his neck bandaged where he was brutally slashed with a knife.

He recounted how he became caught in the middle of the conflict raging between rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) and Congolese armed forces (FARDC) since late 2021. The attack took place at a coffee plantation in the agricultural town of Kibirizi at the start of May.

It had been seized two months earlier by the M23 and the Rwandan Army, which has been fighting alongside the rebel group. “When the M23 arrived in Kibirizi they held a meeting and assured us that we were safe,” Kasereka said. Instead, he said he was attacked by people “in M23 uniform”. The Congolese Army backed by a rag-tag collection of armed groups known as Wazalendo — Swahili for Patriots — launched an offensive to retake Kibirizi from the M23 at the end of April.

But the Army failed to retake Kibirizi, leaving its inhabitants at the mercy of the M23 who began to “attack the population” when the Congolese Army left, Kasereka said.

Augustin Darwin, spokesperson for Front of Patriots for Peace/People’s Army, one of the largest armed groups in the area that is part of the Wazalendo, said he had no confidence in the FARDC. He accused the Congolese Army of “withdrawal after withdrawal” and “fleeing before the enemy”.

Judith Suminwa Tuluka.
| Photo Credit: X/@SuminwaJudith

President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo on April 1 appointed the country’s first female Prime Minister, fulfilling a campaign promise and making an important step towards the formation of a new government after being reelected late last year.

Former Planning Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka will step into the role at a time of worsening violence in the country’s mineral-rich east, which borders Rwanda. The long-running conflict has displaced more than 7 million people according to the United Nations, making it one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Ms. Tuluka promised to work towards peace and development in her first speech following her appointment on state television. Still, it could be months before a new government is formed as the process requires intensive negotiations with the many political parties.

“My thoughts go out to the east and to all corners of the country, which today are facing conflicts with enemies who are sometimes hidden,” she said, referring to the conflict that involves many armed groups including some believed to be backed by Rwanda’s military. “I’m thinking of all these people, and my heart goes out to them.”

Far from the nation’s capital, Kinshasa, eastern Congo has long been overrun by more than 120 armed groups seeking a share of the region’s gold and other resources as they carry out mass killings.

Both regional and U.N. peacekeepers have been asked to leave Congo after the government accused them of failing to resolve the conflict. Violence has only continued to worsen as the withdrawal of personnel has begun, and as Congolese authorities have moved into their positions.

Bintou Keita, the top U.N. envoy to Congo, told the U.N. Security Council last week that the prominent rebel group known as M23 had made significant territorial gains in the east, which was contributing to the spike in violence and surging numbers of displaced people.

Reelected to a second five-year term in December, Mr. Tshisekedi has blamed neighbouring Rwanda for providing military support to the rebels. Rwanda denies the claim but U.N. experts have said there is substantial evidence of their forces in Congo.

The United States last month urged Congo and Rwanda to walk back from the brink of war.

The U.S. State Department also said Rwanda should withdraw troops and surface-to-air missile systems from eastern Congo and criticized M23, calling it a “Rwanda-backed” armed group.

The Rwandan Foreign Ministry said last month that the country’s troops are defending Rwandan territory as Congo carries out a “dramatic military build-up” near the border.