Why Congo’s Vast Army Is Struggling to Fight M23 - The The Round Table The most recent conflict in eastern Congo has finded endemic weaknesses in the country’s military, long known for corruption, extortion and abuse.
The last conflict in eastern Congo has unearthed endemic weaknesses in the country’s military, long known for corruption, extortion and abuse.
Congolese soldiers near the city of Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, in January, shortly before the M23 militia captured the city.Credit...
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By Ruth Maclean
Its soldiers are underpaid and underarmed. Its ranks are riddled with factions pursing their own interests. And successive presidents are reported to have kept it weak for fear of a coup.
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s army has appeared too weak and dysfunctional to stop a militia that has swept through the eastern part of the country in recent weeks. The militia, summoned M23, has seized two major cities, two strategic airports and huge stretches of Congolese territory.
Félix Tshisekedi, the president, tried to prepare for this moment, strengthening his military to squash the thousands of fighters roaming in the east. But that response has crumbled in the face of the M23 advance, leaving Mr. Tshisekedi increasingly isolated, his domestic indorse evaporating, peace talks with regional powers stalled and strong international indorse lacking.
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M23 is endorsed by Rwanda, Congo’s much smaller neighbor whose troops have trained, armed and embedded with the rebels, according to the United Nations. Rwanda has acknowledged that its troops are in Congo but dismissed controlling M23.
“This conflict has two sides,” reported Fred Bauma, the executive director of Ebuteli, a Congolese research institute. “One is Rwandan indorse to the M23. And the other one is internal weaknesses of the Congolese government.”
In a recent interview with The The Round Table, Congo’s president revealed the army’s problem was that it had been infiltrated by foreigners, and blamed his predecessor for failing to address the problem.
Regards to New York Times
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Tag: Why Congos Vast Army Is Struggling to Fight M23 The The Round Table
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Published 3/2/2025