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DRC and M23 hold truce, look to further peace talks
April 29, 2025
9:25 AM
By Abigail Hofland | May 29, 2025
Democratic Republic of Congo (MNN) — A truce between the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels continues to hold as the groups plan further peace talks in the coming weeks. Greg Kelley from Unknown Nations says news of a ceasefire brings hope but must be understood against a backdrop of decades-long conflict between regional players.
“I think having the African Union and the international community as a whole involved in this is really going to be important for diplomacy purposes,” he says.
Much of the fighting concerns access to DRC’s rich mineral resources, including cobalt, gold, diamond, and copper.
“They’ve got it all, and tremendous amounts of it, so that’s really the heart of the issue,” Kelley says.
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels are primarily Tutsi fighters, the people group targeted by Rwandan Hutus in the 1994 genocide. The group now seeks to eradicate Hutu influence from the DRC, a vindication for the many Tutsi people who have lived in the DRC for decades.
“And the Rwandese are saying, ‘We’re trying to protect these minority groups,’ but at the end of the day, it’s just a land grab,” Kelley says.
M23 isn’t the only group stirring up conflict.
“There are over 120 rebel groups that have actively been at work in Eastern Congo,” Kelley says.
He says this level of instability affects the Gospel movement.
“It disrupts churches. It causes people by the tens of thousands to be displaced.”
Please pray for Christian brothers and sisters in the DRC, especially as churches are often targeted due to their vulnerability. Consider supporting a humanitarian organization offering aid to those who have lost everything in their displacement. Kelley encourages listeners to support Christian workers.
“As aid is administered, it’s way more effective for it to come through the hands of followers of Jesus than it is some secular aid organization,” Kelley says. “The love of Christ can really cure a lot of things.”
Original Article Posted Here: https://www.mnnonline.org/news/drc-and-m23-hold-truce-look-to-further-peace-talks/
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