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By Grace Samuel
Editors: Eleonore Huez, Audrey Miu
The opinions expressed in this article reflect the opinions of its author(s). They do not represent the views of the UCL International Relations Society, Circum Mundum, or its Editorial Team.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has an abundance of natural resources, with vast deposits of cobalt, diamonds, gold, and minerals such as tantalum that are critical for modern technology. Despite this potential for wealth, the nation remains mired in instability and stunted development. It is critical to explore why the world’s most resource-rich country continues to suffer after decades of political turmoil and humanitarian crises. Many have attributed this to a so-called ‘resource curse’, however, this idea risks deflecting responsibility from relevant actors. Instead, the DRC’s instability stems from neocolonial exploitation, an enduring process that began during the colonial era and persists today. Possible solutions may include Pan-Africanism to reassert sovereignty and break cycles of exploitation.
The Current Situation
In January 2025, the M23 rebel group launched a renewed offensive in North Kivu, and are now advancing towards Goma, the provincial capital in eastern Congo. Although a ceasefire was briefly declared following a regional summit, hostilities resumed after the two-day pause, with reports of rebel forces moving into South Kivu and engaging in combat with Congolese government troops. The toll of this renewed conflict is severe: approximately 2,900 lives have been lost, around 7,000 people have been injured, and roughly 700,000 civilians have been displaced. Systematic gendered violence has also compounded the human rights crisis; harrowing incidents such as the prison break in Goma on the 27th of January 2025 led to hundreds of women being raped and burned alive, calling attention to the brutal nature of the conflict.
Who Are the M23 Rebels?
The M23 rebel group is named after the March 23, 2009 peace agreement between the DRC government and the National Congress for the [Defence] of the People (CNDP) that sought to integrate a Tutsi-led militia into the Congolese Army. Predominantly composed of ethnic Tutsis, the group emerged in the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, when extremist Hutu militias killed approximately 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The genocide also triggered mass regional displacement, with many Hutu militants fleeing into eastern Congo, exacerbating ethnic tensions. M23 claims to defend Congolese Tutsis from persecution, but its actions also align with broader Rwandan geopolitical and economic interests in the region.
Rwanda’s Strategic Interests and Western Complicity
Rwanda’s strategic interest in the DRC extends beyond ethnic solidarity or regional security; as the Congolese government posits, it is driven by the control of mineral wealth. Rwandan president Paul Kagame has consistently refuted any association with the rebels. However, overwhelming evidence, outlined by a UN group of experts, supports the claim that 'the Rwandan army is in “de facto control of M23”’. By supporting groups like M23, Rwanda gains access to a share of the lucrative mineral exports from the DRC, often funnelled across borders through illicit channels. This economic benefit, achieved at the expense of Congolese development, illustrates a deliberate strategy: by keeping the region unstable, Rwanda secures a steady flow of resources into its economy.
The international community, particularly Western powers, have been passive in this crisis, applying only a selective level of diplomatic pressure on those responsible for the destabilisation of the DRC. Although the West has condemned the violence in rhetoric, it has been reluctant to impose robust economic sanctions that might force a recalibration of its relationships with Rwanda or re-examine policies on critical minerals. This selective engagement allows neocolonial extraction to continue unabated.
The reasons for this lack of action from the wider international community in promoting stability in the DRC are complex. Historically, the Congo has been a focal point for global powers due to its vast natural wealth and a legacy of colonial exploitation that continues to shape its prosperity. In today’s era of rapid technological advancement, many nations, such as members of the UN Security Council, benefit from access to inexpensive raw materials from the Congo, determining their engagement in global politics.
Rwanda, heavily dependent on foreign aid, positions itself as a strategic partner to the West, particularly in the United Kingdom and European Union (EU). Rwanda promotes Western interests in the wider region with its involvement in Mozambique, acting as a regional force in support of French energy interests. In addition, the EU, in particular, has established a mineral deal with Rwanda. Consequently, it is plausible that Rwanda functions not as an entirely independent actor but as a ‘puppet’ government whose policies are heavily influenced by Western interests — a scenario that is all too familiar in global politics.
A Path Towards Congolese Sovereignty and Self-Determination
The extraction and export of raw minerals in the DRC is reminiscent of the exploitative practices that defined the colonial era. Despite the formal end of colonial rule, the economic framework imposed on the country has largely remained: international corporations and foreign governments continue to profit from the nation’s natural wealth while local development remains an afterthought. The raw materials extracted from the DRC are sold at a fraction of the price at which finished products are sold. Rather than the overt physical violence of the past, modern Congo is caught in a subtler, but equally harmful, system of neocolonialism.
The destabilisation of the DRC is not an isolated phenomenon. Similar trends can be observed across the continent. In Sudan, for instance, the United Arab Emirates have played a key role in supporting regimes that engage in destabilising conflicts to secure access to vital resources. Similarly, Russia’s Wagner Group has been active in several African nations, employing private military interventions to extract resources and maintain strategic influence that counterbalances Western interests. The exploitation of natural resources is deeply intertwined with geopolitical power struggles, where both Western and non-Western actors use proxy conflicts to secure their economic and strategic objectives.
The current state of affairs in the DRC demands more than incremental reform, but a radical reimagining of the relationship between African nations and the global economy. A pan-African approach is essential to reclaim control over natural resources and restructure regional economies in a way that prioritises local development. African states can reduce their dependency on volatile global commodity markets and external political forces. Such an approach necessitates a fundamental restructuring of international institutions like the United Nations, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, whose policies have historically reinforced dependency rather than promote genuine development.
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