Published on 11/02/2025
Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) erupts in chaos as fighters from the notorious M23 rebel group advance through the country’s east.
Their battles with the national army have led to the capture of key territories, deaths of thousands in just a fortnight and escalating tensions between DR Congo and its neighbor, Rwanda.
At the center of this crisis is M23 leader Sultani Makenga, a figure accused of various war crimes. United States has sanctioned him for recruiting child soldiers, a charge he denies, while the United Nations has accused him of being responsible for sexual violence.
Understanding his story sheds light on decades of warfare, foreign intervention and the struggle for control over DR Congo’s rich mineral resources.
Makenga was born on December 25, 1973, in Masisi, a lush town in eastern DR Congo. Raised in a Tutsi family, he abandoned school at the age of 17 to join the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a rebel movement fighting for greater Tutsi representation in Rwanda. The RPF sought to restore the rights of hundreds of thousands of Tutsi refugees who had been forced out by ethnic violence.
For four years, Makenga fought alongside the RPF against the Hutu-dominated government army. This conflict became entangled with the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, during which Hutu extremists killed 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Makenga later reflected on this period in a rare 2013 interview, saying:
“My life is war, my education is war and my language is war… but I do respect peace.”
Makenga’s military career continued as he became involved in DR Congo’s various conflicts, including those backed by neighboring Rwanda and Uganda. Over time, he rose to lead M23, a rebel group that has been accused of committing atrocities and destabilizing eastern DR Congo.
The resurgence of M23 in recent months has plunged the region into chaos once again. Their rapid territorial gains and deadly clashes with the Congolese army have displaced thousands and fueled tensions between DR Congo and Rwanda, which Kinshasa accuses of supporting the rebels—a claim Kigali denies.
With international pressure mounting and thousands of lives at risk, the fate of DR Congo remains uncertain. As long as figures like Makenga continue to wield power through violence, lasting peace in the region remains elusive. The current crisis is a stark reminder of the unresolved tensions and deep-rooted conflicts that have plagued sub-Saharan Africa’s largest country for decades.
