A new Enough Project infographic and accompanying table reveals how the M23 rebel group and the Congolese national army – currently the two most powerful armed actors in eastern Congo – pursue their interests through a set of relationships with other armed groups. The interaction between these networks enables them to control valuable mines, harbor war criminals, and face common enemies together.
A new Enough Project field dispatch further documents recent clashes between theCongolese military and the M23 rebel group, and its implications on the ongoing peaces . Enough Project Field Researcher Timo Mueller was on the frontlines in eastern Congo in early July when fighting resumed. He writes: “Following earlier skirmishes in May 2013,the fighting is now the heaviest it has been since M23 temporarily occupied Goma last November.” Violence near populated areas has caused over 6,000 civilians to flee, some to neighboring Uganda.
In conclusion, Mueller states:
“…[I]t will be critical to have a more coordinated, comprehensive peace process to address the root causes of the conflict. Another behind-the-door deal among elites will be just another recipe for failure, likely brewing new dissent and stoking a wholesale resurgence of violence.”
Check out the infographic below:
