M23 has expanded to 30,000 troops, UN Experts Claim
A new report by United Nations experts has renewed allegations that Rwanda continues to support the AFC/M23 rebellion in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, claims Kigali has repeatedly denied.
According to a report cited by Bloomberg, the UN experts estimate that M23 has built a force of approximately 30,000 fighters and has continued consolidating its control over large parts of eastern DRC. The report also alleges that the group is backed by up to 18,000 Rwandan soldiers, despite the US-brokered peace agreement signed in Washington between Rwanda and the DRC, which aims to help end the conflict.
The Rwandan government has consistently rejected accusations of military support for M23, maintaining that its security concerns stem from the continued presence of the FDLR, an armed group linked to perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, operating in eastern DRC.
The latest UN allegations come amid continued violence in the Minembwe area of South Kivu, where Banyamulenge communities have reported repeated attacks by armed groups allied with the Congolese government. However, critics argue that the new report gives no attention to these attacks or the humanitarian situation affecting civilians in the area.
Meanwhile, residents living in territories administered by AFC/M23 have continued to tell local and international media that security has improved in areas under the group's control compared with the period when they were administered by the Kinshasa government.
