Suppose for a minute that Rwanda really is only interested in protecting Congolese Tutsis in eastern DRC. How has the killing of millions of people since the First Congo War helped safeguard the community? That’s the question raised by former Rwandan army chief-of-staff Kayumba Nyamwasa in this video.
Protecting Tutsis in the Congo has long been cited as the main defence for Rwanda’s actions – including via proxies (such as the M23 rebels) – in the mineral-rich eastern region of DRC. But those mineral riches are what critics say is, at least now, the real reason for Kigali’s intervention.
In May last year, M23 seized the key mining town of Rubaya in eastern Congo, taking control of the industry there. That’s reportedly generating $800,000 a month for the group, which the UN says is funnelling the extracted resources – highly sought after on global markets – straight to Rwanda.
Sources:
M23 casus belli
https://cic.nyu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/The-Resurgence-of-the-M23-EN.pdf
M23 economic interests
https://archive.ph/HA8kK
Goma fighting kills hundreds
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/death-toll-from-violence-in-dr-congos-goma-city-climbs-to-900-who/3471078