AFRICA/DR CONGO - Behind names like AFDL or M23 lies the Rwandan intervention in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - "Sometimes you have the feeling that the poor are hopelessly lost," reports a Church source from Bukavu, the capital of the Congolese province of South Kivu, which was taken by the M23 troops supported by the Rwandan army (see Fides, 17/2/2025). "City after city, village after village, the province of South Kivu is also falling. And they still talk about dialogue, offer themselves as mediators, without having the courage to call things by their name," the source continues. It is not an internal conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but an external aggression. "The country has been under attack for years, and since November 2021, when the M23 took up arms again, the situation has worsened. The M23 is the new name of the Rwandan intervention: Over time, it has operated under different names: AFDL (Alliance des Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Congo), RCD (Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie), CNDP (Congrès National pour la Défense du Peuple)... Always with the same aim: to give a Congolese appearance to an invasion project that does not dare to admit its true nature", said the source. "
The testimony also describes the recurring pattern of this offensive: “The occupation is always preceded by riots, looting and murder. Then, the invaders arrive, presenting themselves as saviours. They do not impose respect for the law that they themselves have broken, but govern with a stick and a gun. And the inhabitants of Bukavu have already begun to experience this. Today, at a big meeting, they will present the new leaders and the new rules," continued the source.
As a sign of the new "normality", the M23 has today, February 18, reopened the water links between Goma and Bukavu. "In the Ruzizi plain, Rwandan soldiers and M23 forces continue to advance and already have Luvungi in their hands," the source said. According to our source, the population seems to have come to terms with the new situation: "And we will be surprised to see people applaud. Mothers who have seen the tomatoes they sold rot and have heard the cries of their hungry children will applaud. Men and young people who must be careful not to be confused with civilian soldiers or pro-government militiamen will applaud. Perhaps young people without a future will also applaud, who for decades have not been offered any opportunity for work or a decent life." "And perhaps some will say that the people agree. What should an oppressed people do when they have no help, neither from within nor from outside? Must they die for the ideal of a fatherland? No, it will cling to its simple life and that of its children to move forward in a world that has become totally hostile," concludes the source. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 18/2/2025)

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