This transcript comes from a written interview conducted in February 2025 with Nimi Princewill. Nimi Princewill is a news producer with CNN based in Abuja, Nigeria.
In early 2025, the Rwandan-backed rebel group M23 launched a large-scale offensive in the DRC. This marked a major intensification in a conflict between the M23 and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, ongoing since 2022. M23’s advance has captured Goma and surrounding mining towns, resulting in thousands of civilian deaths.
In March 2025, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Félix Tshisekedi and the Rwandan President Paul Kagame met in Qatar to begin discussing a ceasefire between the two countries. As of early April 2025, the M23 group had also agreed to participate in talks, with more conferences to come in Doha, Qatar.
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Niemiec: Can you summarize the current situation between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda for someone unfamiliar with the issue?
Princewill: Militia violence has been rife in the impoverished but mineral-rich DRC for decades. This is partly connected to its vast mineral wealth. The DRC harbors a stash of several valuable minerals, including the world’s largest reserves of cobalt and coltan – both essential to the production of electronics. The scramble for control of these resources has fueled the violence in the country, with more than a hundred armed groups competing for territory. There’s very little infrastructure in the DRC, and its military has been severely weakened and overstretched.
We are now witnessing a renewed ethnic and resource-driven armed rebellion by the M23 militia, which is a dominant part of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) rebel coalition. The M23 claims to protect the interest of the minority Rwandaphone communities in the DRC, which it alleges are marginalized and persecuted. It also receives military support from Rwanda. Rwanda does not outrightly deny this.
Niemiec: You’ve previously written about the cobalt industry in the DRC. Can you comment on how the conflict impacts the working conditions in this industry and others?
Princewill: The mining sector in the DRC is impacted by the conflict, as it fuels child labor and the unrestrained exploitation of artisanal miners in rebel-controlled areas. The working conditions are deplorable in some of those mining sites. There are reports of human rights abuses and frequent tragedies, including fatal mining accidents. The conflict also creates a pathway for militia groups to profit from smuggled minerals.
Niemiec: NBC News reported that M23 warns it will continue to push further into the DRC after ceasefire talks. Why do you think they are rejecting the ceasefire?
Princewill: In my interactions with Congolese authorities and the M23, both parties blamed each other for reneging on truce agreements. Additionally, the M23 told me they were gunning for a regime change and would march on the national capital, Kinshasa, where they plan to overthrow President Felix Tshisekedi.
Niemiec: What should the United States’ response to the conflict be? Should we get involved in any capacity?
Princewill provided a link Amnesty International’s robust expectation of the US. According to Amnesty International: “Actions that can be taken by the United States government include ‘lead[ing] a review of Rwanda’s participation in UN peacekeeping operations—something that is of great reputational interest to Rwanda’ and immediately restoring ‘all aid to the DRC’ to support the country’s already underfunded healthcare and food systems.”
Niemiec: Do you believe the conflict will come to an end anytime soon?
Princewill: There are no clear signs of the conflict abating anytime soon. The unrest in the DRC is deeply entrenched in complex issues that span years. If it isn’t the M23 today, it would be another militia.
Niemiec: Does the conflict between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda highlight any underlying concerns to which the world should pay more attention?
Princewill: The international community needs to be stricter in curbing the spread of conflict minerals. The global demand for cobalt and coltan (which are largely smuggled from the DRC) has triggered the rapid expansionist agenda of the M23. It’s not a coincidence that the coltan-rich Rubaya and Nyabibwe mines in eastern DRC have both fallen to the rebels.
Niemiec: Why should people be aware of what is happening between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda?
Princewill: Anyone who uses a smartphone should be aware and concerned about the DRC conflict because their gadget plays a role in fueling the violence.
Image courtesy of CNN