Eastern DRC — M23/FDLR Insurgency
Eastern DRC has experienced near-continuous conflict since the 1990s. The latest cycle, driven by the M23 rebel group backed by Rwanda, escalated sharply in 2021-2024, with M23 capturing Goma in January 2025. The region sits atop the world's largest reserves of coltan, cobalt, gold, cassiterite, and wolframite — minerals critical to global electronics and EV battery supply chains.
Dossier summary
Current conflict profile
Eastern DRC has experienced near-continuous conflict since the 1990s. The latest cycle, driven by the M23 rebel group backed by Rwanda, escalated sharply in 2021-2024, with M23 capturing Goma in January 2025. The region sits atop the world's largest reserves of coltan, cobalt, gold, cassiterite, and wolframite — minerals critical to global electronics and EV battery supply chains.
Persistence drivers
Why this conflict persists
The conflict is sustained by mineral wealth exploitation, ethnic Tutsi-Hutu dynamics imported from the 1994 Rwandan genocide, weak Congolese state capacity, Rwandan strategic interests in eastern DRC buffer zones, and the inability of MONUSCO peacekeepers to establish effective control.
Human and economic impact
Displacement, fatalities, and economic pressure
The live side tables for actors, displacement timeseries, economy rows, forecasts, events, and timeline are currently empty for this conflict, so this static dossier uses the verified inline conflict record.
Outlook
Risk and spillover assessment
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