A video allegedly showing M23 soldiers walk in a file past a MONUSCO (UN) troop base in Rwindi, eastern DRC, has sparked anger online. MONUSCO has branded the clip ‘fake news.’
In November last year, MONUSCO and DR Congo’s military started Operation Springbok, aimed at securing the provincial capital Goma and stemming the killing of civilians.
The carnage has not stopped, and hundreds of thousands have been freshly displaced since the third quarter of 2023.
Seven-million people have been displaced – and six-million killed – in DRC since 1994, in what has been described as Africa’s World War.
MONUSCO, with a billion-dollar annual budget, a decades-long presence and tens of thousands of armed personnel, has proved incapable of halting the violence. President Félix Tshisekedi cited this when he demanded the UN mission’s exit from the country. MONUSCO began withdrawing personnel in late February.
What do you make of this video?