M23 leader’s career maps the turmoil in Rwanda and Congo’s doctoral turmoil

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is in turmoil – fighters from the infamous M23 rebel group have been emerging in the eastern part of the country, fighting against the National Army and occupying key places.

In just two weeks, thousands of people were said to have been killed, and the battle triggered an ominous battle between the Congo Doctor and his neighbor Rwanda.

So, Dr. Congo is the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa – how to get here?

The origins of this complex conflict can be understood through a story of one person – M23 leader Sultani Makeenga is the subject of various war crime charges.

To date, returning to Makeenga’s life is to study decades of war, intermittent foreign intervention and the continued temptation of the Congo’s abundant mineral resources.

His life began on Christmas Day in 1973, when he was born in the lush Congolese town of Masisi.

At the age of 17, Makeenga was raised by parents of the Tutsi ethnic group and quit her Tutsi Rebel costume on the Rwandan border at the school.

This group was appointed as the Rwanda Patriot Front (RPF), demanding a larger Tutsi representative in the Rwanda government, which was dominated by politicians of the Hutu majority.

They also hope that thousands of Tutsi refugees are forced to return to their hometowns by racial violence.

For four years, Makeenga and RPF fought a Hutu-led army in Rwanda. Their battles Genocide in 1994When Hutu extremists killed 800,000 Tassis and the medium Hutus.

When looking back at this time Rare interviews in 2013“My life is war, my education is war, my language is war…but I do respect peace.”

The RPF gradually occupied more and more land before marching into Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, and overthrew the extremist Hutu government – many of whom fled the present-day Congo Doctor.

With the power of the RPF, Makeenga was absorbed by the official Rwandan army and was promoted to sergeant and deputy platoon commander.

“He is very good at setting ambush,” one of Makeenga’s RPF fighters told The Rift Valley Research Institute Nonprofit research organization.

However, his progress in the Rwandan army hit the ceiling. The Rift Valley Academy said the fact that he received only basic education and spoke French and English was “an obstacle to his military career.”

To this day, it is also said that Makeenga is very reserved and fights public speaking.

In 1997, he was part of Rwanda-backed forces who eventually seized power in the Congo Doctor to expel the long-serving ruler Mobutu Sese Seko. They installed veteran Congolese leader Laurent Kabila in his position.

However, Maganga began to clash with his boss – he refused to order to return to Rwanda and was arrested by Rwandan authorities UN Security Council Report explain.

Therefore, he was imprisoned for several years on Ivawa Island.

Meanwhile, relations between Kabila and the new Rwandan leader have deteriorated.

Rwanda tried to smash the Hutu militia responsible for the genocide, but fled the border in 1994. Rwanda’s fear is that they may return and undermine the country’s hard hit stability.

But Kabila failed to stop the militant organization and he also began to force the Rwandan army.

As a result, Rwanda invaded the Congo Doctor in 1998. When Makeenga was released from prison, he was appointed commander of the front line and served as commander along with the Rwanda-backed rebel groups.

Over the years, he has earned a reputation for commanding large numbers of soldiers to fight with a high degree of strategic and skillful effort.

Rwandan troops crossed the Congo’s postdoctoral fellow, and discrimination against Tutsi communities surged. Kabila claims Tutsis supports the invasion while other officials incite the public to attack ethnic members.

Makeenga – Still in the Congolese Doctor – accusing Congolese leaders of betraying Tusi fighters said: “Kabila is a politician, although I am not. I am a soldier and the language I know is guns.”

Several neighbors were drawn into the conflict and deployed a large UN military force to maintain order.

More than 5 million people are believed to die in war and their consequences – mainly from hunger or disease.

The battle officially ended in 2003, but Markenga continued to serve in armed groups against the Congolese government.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Tutsi insurgents like Makeenga were eventually called a “mixed” process, merged it into the armed forces of the Congolese government.

However, the political beaches of the Congo Doctor have been shifting – Makeenga eventually defected from the army and joined the M23 rebellion.

M23 has become increasingly active in the east of Dr. Congo, saying they are fighting to protect Tutsi’s rights and that the government has failed to honor the peace agreement signed in 2009.

Makeenga was promoted to the ranking of M23 Generals, and then not long after.

In November 2012, he led the rebels to carry out a brutal uprising, where they occupied the city of Goma, a major eastern city with a population of more than one million.

The Congo doctor and non-accusation of Rwanda’s government under his command of Etusi support the M23 government – Kigali has been denied the allegation. But recently, the formal response has changed, with a government spokesman saying that fighting near its borders is a security threat.

By 2012, Makeenga and others in M23 face serious war crimes charges. The United States imposed sanctions on him, saying he was responsible for “recruiting child soldiers, as well as violent campaigns against civilians.” Makeenga said the charges of the M23 second-hand child soldiers were “founded”.

Elsewhere, the United Nations said he had undertaken and was responsible for acts of killing and disability, sexual violence and kidnapping.

As assets freeze, Makeenga faces a painful split within M23. One side supports him as the leader, while the other side supports his opponent, General Bosco Ntaganda.

Enough projectsa nonprofit that works for a doctorate in Congo, said the two factions came to a “mature war” in 2013, with three soldiers and eight civilians dead.

On the side of Makeenga, General Ntaganda fled to Rwanda, where he surrendered to the U.S. Embassy.

General Ntaganda was nicknamed “Terminator” because of his cruelty In the end, the International Criminal Court (ICC) was sentenced to 30 years of war crimes.

But, a few months after Makeenga’s victory, another bigger threat emerged. The United Nations deployed a 3,000-man force and authorized support for the Congolese army to reclaim Goma, prompting the evacuation of the M23.

The rebel group was fired from the country, Makeenga fled to Uganda, which was also accused of supporting M23 – a denial allegation.

Uganda received a request for extradition from the Congolese doctor to Makeenga, but did not take action.

Eight years have passed. Dozens of other armed groups roamed the mineral-rich east, causing serious damage, but the Congolese authorities did not have the most notorious militants.

That is to say, until 2021.

Makeenga and his rebels once again raised their weapons and occupied the territory of the Northern Kivo province.

Several ceasefires between M23 and Congolese authorities failed, and last year the judge sentenced Makeenga to death in absence.

In the latest developments of the M23, the rebels are said to be supported by thousands of Rwandan troops, and Makeenga has hardly been seen in public.

Instead, he left his public speeches and remarks to his spokesperson, as well as Corneille Nangaa of the rebel groups (including M23).

But Makeenga remains a key player, seemingly focusing on behind-the-scenes strategy.

He said his relentless battle has been his three children, “so that they one day they will have a better future in the country.”

“I should not be seen as someone who doesn’t want peace. I have a heart, a family and someone I care about,” he said.

But millions of ordinary people are paying the price of this conflict, and if he is captured by Congolese troops, Markenga will face death penalty.

Yes, he didn’t avoid it.

“I’m willing to sacrifice everything,” he said.