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The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) Sunday announced a $5 million (£4 million) reward for information leading to the arrest of three key leaders of the M23 rebel group, which has seized large areas in the east of the country this year.
The bounty targets Corneille Nangaa, a former head of DR Congo’s electoral commission and now the Congo River Alliance leader, including the M23. Nangaa has been actively addressing rallies in cities under rebel control. Also named in the reward offer are M23 commanders Sultani Makenga and Bertrand Bisimwa.
Last year, the three men were convicted in absentia by a military court and sentenced to death for treason.
In addition, the government has put up a $4 million (£3 million) reward for the capture of two exiled journalists and other individuals it describes as accomplices.
Despite the financial incentives, the likelihood of arrests remains low. The Congolese army has struggled against the well-armed M23 fighters, who are reportedly backed by Rwanda. In recent weeks, the rebels have overpowered government forces, taking control of mineral-rich regions, including Goma and Bukavu—the two largest cities in eastern DR Congo.
As military efforts falter, President Félix Tshisekedi has intensified diplomatic efforts to pressure Rwanda into facing international sanctions for its alleged support of the M23. A 2023 report by UN experts estimated that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were operating alongside M23 forces inside DR Congo.
The conflict has resulted in thousands of deaths and has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, leaving them without shelter.
DR Congo has also sought U.S. support in exchange for access to its vast mineral resources. The Congolese government accuses Rwanda of attempting to take control of these minerals—such as gold and coltan, a key component in consumer electronics including mobile phones and computers.
Responding to reports that DR Congo was offering its minerals in exchange for military assistance against M23, presidential spokeswoman Tina Salama wrote on X last month that President Tshisekedi was inviting the U.S. to source materials directly from DR Congo, rather than obtaining them through Rwanda, which she claimed was smuggling looted minerals.
Rwanda has denied looting DR Congo’s minerals. While it no longer refutes claims of backing M23, it argues that its involvement is aimed at preventing the conflict from spreading into its own borders.
Furthermore, Rwanda accuses the Congolese government of collaborating with the FDLR, an armed group linked to those responsible for the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which approximately 800,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis, were killed.
Both M23 and the Rwandan government are led by Tutsis. DR Congo, however, denies any collaboration with the FDLR, which Rwanda has labeled a “genocidal militia.”
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