# Why is Rwanda supporting an insurgency in Democratic Republic of Congo?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rwanda-supporting-an-insurgency-in-democratic-republic-of-congo/1013701>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [February 1, 2025, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rwanda-supporting-an-insurgency-in-democratic-republic-of-congo/1013701 "2025-02-01T01:59:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rwanda-supporting-an-insurgency-in-democratic-republic-of-congo/1013701/1 "2025-02-01T01:59:30Z")

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Or is it?

Could someone help me come up to speed on this?

> **[M23 offensive (2022–present)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M23_offensive_(2022%E2%80%93present))**
>
> Ongoing
> March 23 Movement Rwanda\[a\]Supported by: Uganda (June 2022; alleged by DR Congo)
>  DR Congo MONUSCO
> EAC Regional Force

Is it a continuation of the Second Congo War?

(Putting this in IMHO because I doubt answers will be strictly factual, but I’m not trying to start a debate.)

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**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rwanda-supporting-an-insurgency-in-democratic-republic-of-congo/1013701/2 "2025-02-01T02:34:45Z")

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As I understand it a few reasons mainly related to it resulting in their de facto occupation of bordering regions, which just happen to be rich in resources like gold. Congo is just coincidentally exporting much more gold now.

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**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rwanda-supporting-an-insurgency-in-democratic-republic-of-congo/1013701/3 "2025-02-01T02:41:20Z")

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And the rebels align tribally with the ruling Tutsis in Rwanda. In addition to the gold in that part of DRC, there is also an ore called coltan that has material used in cell phones and such. Tons of the stuff is smuggled through Rwanda each year.

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**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rwanda-supporting-an-insurgency-in-democratic-republic-of-congo/1013701/4 "2025-02-01T11:01:46Z")

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My question would be slightly different, but with the same inevitable answer:

Why is Zimbabwe involving itself in the insurgency in the DRC?

TLDR: my compatriots in the ruling class are corrupt arseholes.

I love my country, but man. Outside of say, Equitorial Guinea, we pick the worst leaders.

DRC is not much better, either. Nor Rwanda.

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**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rwanda-supporting-an-insurgency-in-democratic-republic-of-congo/1013701/5 "2025-02-01T12:10:57Z")

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> [@scudsucker](#):
>
> Why is Zimbabwe involving itself in the insurgency in the DRC?

Are they? I mean, outside of hosting SADC conferences, I didn’t think they had troops in the current fracas. AFAIWA, they haven’t since 2002?