Rwanda-Democratic Congo: Peace Efforts Needed
TRANSCEND MEMBERS, 15 Dec 2025
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service
12 Dec 2025 – Despite discussions between the leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, intense fighting has been reported in the eastern areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo, especially the North and South Kivu provinces. Local residents report that the Rwandan-backed militia M23 has escalated its offensive in recent weeks targeting population centers near the frontier with Burundi.
This eastern area of the Congo has been the scene of fighting at least since 1998 – in part as a result of the genocide in neighboring Rwanda in 1994. In mid-1994, more than one million Rwandan Hutu refugees poured into the two Kivus, fleeing the advance of the Tutsi-led Rwanda Patriotic Front, which now comprises the government of Rwanda.
In addition to the structured militias such as M23, there are a host of small armed groups usually organized on clanic lines. These groups are difficult to contact and thus serious negotiations are nearly impossible. They are under the control of neither the government of Rwanda nor that of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Today, there are serious violations of human rights with massive displacement of the population, plundering of villages, systematic rape of women, and the use of child soldiers.
The Association of World Citizens has repeatedly called for negotiations in good faith for this area. There is a need to create an enabling political environment, to develop the rule of law, and to build a vital civil society. There are tasks which non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can undertake. There is an urgent need for peace efforts.
______________________________________
René Wadlow is a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment. He is President of the Association of World Citizens, an international peace organization with consultative status with ECOSOC, the United Nations organ facilitating international cooperation and problem-solving in economic and social issues, and editor of Transnational Perspectives.
Tags: Africa, Conflict Mediation, D.R. Congo, NGO, Rwanda, United Nations, Violent conflict
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 15 Dec 2025.
Anticopyright: Editorials and articles originated on TMS may be freely reprinted, disseminated, translated and used as background material, provided an acknowledgement and link to the source, TMS: Rwanda-Democratic Congo: Peace Efforts Needed, is included. Thank you.
If you enjoyed this article, please donate to TMS to join the growing list of TMS Supporters.
This work is licensed under a CC BY-NC 4.0 License.
Join the discussion!
We welcome debate and dissent, but personal — ad hominem — attacks (on authors, other users or any individual), abuse and defamatory language will not be tolerated. Nor will we tolerate attempts to deliberately disrupt discussions. We aim to maintain an inviting space to focus on intelligent interactions and debates.