Light on Rwanda-DRC Relations
Tensions have existed between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda for decades, stemming back to the Rwandan genocide in 1994 when over 1 million Rwandan refugees fled to the DRC. In the late 1990s, Rwanda, with the support of Uganda and Burundi, invaded Zaire (former name of the DRC) to defeat a number of rebel groups which had found refuge in the country. The intervention led to two wars: The First (1996-1997) and Second Congo War (1998-2003) where Rwanda supported rebel groups against the DRC government.
Despite the two countries signing a joint military operation against the Rwandan Hutu rebel group - Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) - tensions rose again in 2012 when the M23 rebel group emerged, composed of former National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) rebels. During the following years the relations between both countries were relatively calm despite underlying tensions from previous conflicts and Rwanda being accused of still supporting certain Congolese armed groups, limiting the cooperation actions against those groups.
However, tensions have increased in recent years along the reemergence of the M23 groups who seized territory in DRC's North Kivu province. In 2022, escalating tensions between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda led to accusations of cross-border attacks by both countries' forces on each other's territory. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Nations accused Rwanda of fighting with M23 as well as supporting the group in their combat against Felix Tshisekedi’s government.
On the other hand, Rwanda accused the DRC government of preparing for war rather than following peace initiatives and de-escalating tensions. In 2023, Kigali further accused Russia and some European Countries of supporting the DRC with mercenaries. Additionally, the M23 group has accused the DRC to support the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Hutu group who took part in the Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi community.
Despite those accusations and an UN report presenting evidence of Rwandan military support for the M23, both the DRC and Rwanda deny their support to the FDLR and M23, respectively. In an interview the President Tshisekedi further dismissed the accusation of receiving mercenaries' support despite the German publication Taz reporting the presence of European fighters in an investigation.
It is worth noting that Rwanda is not only active in DRC but also in the Central African Republic (CAR) where Rwanda provides the largest contingent of peacekeepers to the UN mission to help the CAR government fight rebels. Additionally, Rwanda and CAR have signed various agreements for Rwandan investment. However, Central Africans fear unfair economic competition from Rwandan businesses which could also lead to tensions with the Russian Wagner Group, major security partner of the Central African Republic.
Nowadays the tensions are still very present in the region. After the violent intervention on the 30th of August against the group Wazalendo,the DRC government used its combat against the M23 group to justify the killings and arrest of tens of members of the organisation.The deteriorating crisis in Eastern DRC is exacerbated by the strained relations of stakeholders, which hinder efforts to resolve the situation. The future relation of Rwanda and the DRC will likely significantly depend on both countries' regional influence and decisions regarding the crisis.