M23 Rebel/ Congo River Alliance (AFC)

Why in News? Congolese authorities have accused Rwanda’s army and the M23 rebel group of committing severe human rights violations, including 107 murders, over 4,000 abductions, rape, torture, and looting, between May 10-13, 2025, in eastern DRC, targeting civilians suspected of ties to the Congolese army and militias.

About the M23 Rebel Group:

• The March 23 Movement (M23), also known as the Congolese Revolutionary Army, is a Rwandan-backed rebel group operating primarily in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), near the borders with Rwanda and Uganda.
• Formed in 2012 by deserters of the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP), a former rebel group integrated into the Congolese army (FARDC) after a 2009 peace agreement, M23 claims to protect the Tutsi ethnic minority against discrimination and attacks by Hutu militias, such as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which has roots in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

• Origins and Leadership: M23 emerged after CNDP members, dissatisfied with the implementation of the 2009 peace deal, mutinied. The group is led by Congolese Tutsi commanders, with Corneille Nangaa as a prominent figure in the Congo River Alliance (AFC), a coalition of rebel groups M23 is part of.
• The name “March 23” refers to the March 23, 2009, peace agreement they accuse the DRC government of failing to honor.
• Alleged Rwandan Support: UN experts, the DRC, the US, and other Western governments assert that Rwanda provides military support to M23, including 3,000–4,000 Rwandan troops, training, logistical support, and high-tech weaponry like drones and air-defense systems. Rwanda denies these claims, arguing it deploys troops only to secure its borders and counter the FDLR, which it accuses the DRC of supporting—a charge the DRC rejects.