War Returns to Eastern Congo: What the World Needs to Understand

War has returned—again—to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

In January, rebel fighters seized the city of Goma, a major humanitarian hub in North Kivu. It is the most serious escalation of violence since 2012, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee and raising fears of a wider regional conflict, as the Congolese government accuses Rwanda of directly backing the rebels.

But what is happening today is not new. The roots of this crisis run deep.

Who is fighting?

Eastern Congo has become one of the most militarized landscapes on earth. More than 120 armed groups operate across North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri.

At its core, the conflict pits:

• The Congolese state and its allies, including the national army and local militias

• Against M23, a predominantly Tutsi rebel movement widely supported by Rwanda

• Alongside other armed actors, including extremist groups like the ADF, with links to ISIS

Meanwhile, nearly 11,000 UN peacekeepers remain in the country—resented by some, relied upon by many, and increasingly seen as an insufficient shield for civilians.

What sparked this latest escalation?

The immediate trigger was the collapse of peace talks and a renewed M23 offensive.

But the deeper drivers operate on three levels:

Locally: Land disputes, identity politics, ethnic tensions, and competition over minerals like gold and coltan fuel violence village by village.

Nationally: Congo's government remains weak and contested. Security forces are often predatory rather than protective, undermining trust and legitimacy.

Regionally: Foreign involvement—especially Rwanda’s intervention—continues to destabilize the east.

Rwanda’s role

UN reporting indicates Rwanda provides M23 with weapons, drones, ammunition, and even thousands of troops on Congolese soil.

Rwanda justifies its actions through the shadow of the 1994 genocide, arguing that Hutu militias still present in Congo remain an existential threat.

But economic motives also matter: Rwanda profits from the export of smuggled Congolese minerals.

What would peace require?

Two conditions are essential:

1. A stronger, more legitimate Congolese state Democratic transitions, accountable security forces, and governance that serves citizens rather than exploits them.

2. An end to external interference Western powers have leverage: a significant portion of Rwanda’s budget comes from foreign aid and loans. Pressure worked before, in 2012–13, and could again.

The humanitarian cost

The scale of suffering is staggering:

• Over 6 million deaths linked to conflict since the mid-1990s

• Around 6 million internally displaced people

• More than 1 million refugees abroad

• Widespread sexual violence, child soldier recruitment, and disease outbreaks

Eastern Congo is one of the world’s worst displacement crises—yet remains undercovered.

Why is Congo ignored?

Partly because the story is complex: too many actors, too many causes, no clean narrative.

But also because of geopolitics—and race.

Wars in Europe are framed as urgent and morally clear. Wars in Africa are too often dismissed as inevitable background noise.

That indifference is its own form of violence.

A crisis with history—but also agency

Yes, Congo’s past is marked by colonial extraction, Cold War meddling, and decades of dictatorship.

But today, the tragedy is less about constant outside control than about global neglect—combined with internal fragility and regional predation.

The UN mission is a Band-Aid. Necessary, but insufficient.

Lasting peace will require rebuilding the Congolese state and ending the regional incentives that keep war profitable.

The outlook may be grim.

But the Congolese people have endured for decades.

And they have not given up.

Neither should the world.