The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has introduced a $5 million reward for the seize of three M23 insurgent leaders, together with former electoral chief Corneille Nangaa, navy commander Sultani Makenga, and political chief Bertrand Bisimwa. The trio was sentenced to loss of life in absentia final yr for treason.
Despite the bounty, arresting them stays unlikely as Rwandan-backed M23 forces proceed to dominate japanese DR Congo, seizing main cities like Goma and Bukavu. Thousands have been killed, and a whole bunch of 1000’s displaced.
President Félix Tshisekedi is looking for worldwide sanctions in opposition to Rwanda, which a UN report says has deployed troops to assist M23. DR Congo has additionally urged the U.S. to supply minerals straight from its territory as a substitute of Rwanda, which it accuses of smuggling gold and coltan, important for electronics.
Rwanda denies looting DR Congo’s sources however acknowledges supporting M23, citing safety issues over alleged Congolese ties to FDLR, a militia linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide—a declare DR Congo rejects.
About 4,000 Rwandan troops are combating alongside M23 rebels in japanese Congo, the place the rebels now management the capitals of the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, in accordance with a report by U.N. consultants.
M23 is probably the most highly effective of the various armed teams vying for a foothold in Congo’s east, a area possessing trillions of {dollars} in largely untapped mineral sources essential for world know-how.
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