Foreign armies, militias, and private military contractors are operating in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where clashes with M23 rebels have reignited after a months-long lull.
Tens of thousands of people have been compelled to abandon their residences in a country that already has more than six million internally displaced individuals.
The government of the Central African nation is currently advocating for the withdrawal of United Nations peacekeepers from the area.
UN troops
UN peacekeepers have been present in the DRC since 1999.
The government of the Central African nation is currently advocating for the withdrawal of United Nations peacekeepers from the area.
Referred to as MONUSCO, this peacekeeping mission stands as one of the largest and most expensive in the world, with an annual budget of approximately $1 billion.
Yet, the force is widely disapproved of, as it is perceived to have failed in its mission to reduce violence.
The government wants MONUSCO to leave.
“It is time for our country to fully take its destiny in hand and become the principal actor of its own stability,” Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi told the UN General Assembly last month.
His government has requested the 14,000-strong force to withdraw by the end of the year.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed concern that the security situation in eastern DRC is rapidly deteriorating.
Armies galore
Conventional foreign armies also operate in eastern DRC.
Uganda, which has previously supported Congolese rebel groups, deployed troops to the region in late 2021 to combat the Allied Democratic Forces group, following an invitation from Kinshasa.
The improving relations between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo seem to have led to heightened tensions with neighboring Rwanda.
A Rwandan-supported faction, the M23, initiated an offensive in late 2021, resulting in the capture of significant territory. This rebellion has displaced more than one million people from their residences.
To ease tensions, the East African Community, consisting of seven nations, dispatched a military force to the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
By early 2023, troops from Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, and South Sudan had reached the eastern Congolese city of Goma.
The regional force subsequently created buffer zones north of Goma, which angered Kinshasa as it had anticipated a direct confrontation with the M23.
In May, Tshisekedi accused the East African force of “coexisting” with the M23.
The DRC has since placed its hopes on the arrival of troops from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) bloc.
However, that possibility has encountered obstacles, as per diplomats familiar with the negotiations.
The mandate of the East African force is set to conclude on December 8, and the Congolese government has expressed its desire for the troops to depart by that date, according to the government spokesman.
Western troops
Goma has hosted approximately 1,000 Western soldiers employed by two private military companies since late last year.
Both private military contractors have been incorporated into the Congolese military to combat the M23 rebel group.
Agemira, the first of the contractors, is managed by French nationals and consists of retired French military personnel.
Initially, it offered maintenance services to the Congolese Air Force, but it has since become part of the military’s operational command and actively participated in bombing raids on M23 positions.
Congo Protection, the second company, is overseen in Goma by a former member of the French Foreign Legion from Romania.
Congo Protection primarily comprises Eastern European soldiers who engage in training Congolese army units, safeguarding Goma, and participating in combat operations against the rebels.
Pro-government militias and armed groups
After a six-month period of uneasy peace, confrontations with the M23 resurged in early October.
The Congolese army asserts that it is abiding by a ceasefire arrangement with the M23 and has not participated in recent skirmishes.
However, local residents and security sources contend that the Congolese army is providing support to allied armed groups, colloquially referred to as Wazalendo, who are currently launching offensives.
The government of Congo’s spokesperson has commended these informal fighters as “brave young Congolese.”
Multiple reports have surfaced regarding cooperation between the Congolese military and armed groups, including some whose leaders are subject to international sanctions.
An internal MONUSCO report from earlier this month, as seen by media, suggests that several armed groups engaged in the current conflict appear to be functioning as proxy entities for the Congolese armed forces.
