Who are the M23 Rebels in eastern DRC?

Origins and Rise of M23

The March 23 Movement, known as M23, emerged from the protracted Kivu Conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a region bordering Rwanda where fighting began in 2004. The Congolese army (FARDC) faced multiple armed groups, including the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), founded in 2006 by Laurent Nkunda, a Tutsi militia leader. After five years of conflict, the DRC state and the CNDP signed a peace agreement on March 23, 2009, under which the rebels agreed to become a political party in exchange for prisoner releases, improved conditions for Tutsi communities, and three ministerial posts after the 2011 elections.

However, the DRC authorities' failure to fully implement the agreement led former CNDP rebels, who had integrated into the national army, to revolt. In April 2012, they formed M23, naming the group after the agreement's signing date. The rebels quickly gained ground, but on November 5, 2013, the FARDC, with UN peacekeepers, won a historic victory over M23, temporarily ending the insurgency.

Resurgence and Escalation

M23 made a military comeback in March 2022. On March 25, 2022, Bertrand Bisimwa, the movement's leader, tweeted that they had "done everything to avoid another war, but the DR Congolese government made its choices." M23 spokesperson Willy Ngoma issued a statement detailing the movement's attempts at unconditional surrender and the government's military response. The group's resurgence was analyzed by Pierre Boisselet of Ebuteli, a Congolese research institute, who studied M23's territorial gains in North Kivu.

DRC officials accused Rwanda and Uganda of supporting M23, but both countries denied any involvement. An anonymous Congolese officer, quoted by the French-language publication Afrique XXI, said that Rwandan fighters or M23 soldiers who had passed through Rwanda were often captured. The conflict has had a devastating humanitarian toll: the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that renewed hostilities since October 2023 displaced an additional 450,000 people, with more than 5.5 million displaced in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri provinces. An editor's note to a November 2023 article states that M23 took control of Goma and Bukavu in early 2025, pushing the number of internally displaced persons above 7 million.

The M23 operates in a region with other armed groups, including the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO), and the Burundian National Forces of Liberation (FNL). Bob Kabamba, a professor of political sciences at the University of Liège, warned that if the Congo were destabilized, it could impact neighboring countries such as Congo-Brazzaville, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan.

Impact on Elections and Regional Stability

The DRC held general elections on December 20, 2023, amid high tensions and escalating violence. Incumbent President Félix Tshisekedi was re-elected with 73 percent of the vote, according to an editor's note. The M23's offensives raised concerns about the elections' credibility and the government's ability to secure the country, though the vote proceeded as scheduled.

DRC-Burundi Cooperation: Beyond Security

The M23 advance has pushed Kinshasa and Bujumbura into one of their closest periods of cooperation, according to The EastAfrican. The partnership began in 2021 when Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye said the two countries should "join forces to further strengthen the security of their common land and lake borders, in order to eradicate rebel groups that spread death while undermining socio-economic development." In March 2023, the countries signed a bilateral defence cooperation agreement covering intelligence sharing, training, planning, and joint operations.

Burundian troops are deployed alongside the FARDC in operations against M23. For Bujumbura, any rebel advance into South Kivu, particularly towards the Ruzizi Plain and Uvira, represents a direct threat due to its proximity to Burundian territory. In January 2026, Burundi strengthened military deployments along its border with Rwanda as M23 forces advanced.

However, cooperation extends well beyond security. The two countries have signed trade agreements, including a bilateral trade pact in April 2022 and the Simplified Trade Regime (RECOS) launched at the Kavimvira and Gatumba border posts in October 2024. Infrastructure plans include building bridges across the Ruzizi River, agricultural development, a road corridor, and a standard-gauge railway linking Gitega, Uvira, and Kindu. The Ruzizi hydroelectric power station supplies electricity to the DRC, Burundi, and Rwanda. Health cooperation includes strengthened border surveillance to prevent Ebola from spreading.

Economic ties are substantial. According to the 2024 annual report of the Bank of the Republic of Burundi (BRB), the DRC absorbed 27.1% of Burundi's exports in 2024, up from 20.6% in 2023. Burundi exported approximately $174 million in 2024, with the DRC accounting for roughly $47.2 million. In 2025, the DRC absorbed 99.7% of Burundi's exports to the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). In Q1 2025, products from the DRC represented 64% of Burundi's imports from ECCAS, and in Q3 2025, imports from the DRC accounted for about 44.7%. A 2019 survey by Burundi's National Institute of Statistics (INSBU) found that more than 70% of Burundi's informal exports were destined for the DRC. The two countries share a border of around 230 kilometres.

During a state visit to Kinshasa in June, President Ndayishimiye and President Tshisekedi reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in political, diplomatic, security, economic, cultural, humanitarian, and social fields. The Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation is scheduled to meet in Bujumbura in September, signaling continued institutionalization of their partnership.

The M23 crisis has thus not only reshaped security dynamics in the Great Lakes region but also accelerated a broader integration between the DRC and Burundi, driven by shared threats and deep economic interdependence.