From Hero to Tyrant: Kagame’s Role in Congo’s Chaos Through M23

I first became aware of the personality of Paul Kagame, Rwanda’s president for over two decades, through the pages of A Thousand Hills: Rwanda’s Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It by renowned journalist Stephen Kinzer.

Not just that, Kinzer led us through Kagame’s fervent ambition during his days as a young military officer in Uganda. Like many other Rwandan Tutsis, Kagame served in the Ugandan army but dreamed of leading his people back home someday. Kagame was just three years old when his family was chased out of Rwanda following the ethnic unrest between Tutsis and Hutus in 1959. This unrest forced thousands of Tutsis to flee their country and seek refuge in Uganda and other neighboring East African nations.

The compelling and somewhat inspirational story of how Kagame, at 33, led the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) in 1990, waging a four-year guerrilla war against the government of then-President Juvénal Habyarimana, belongs in another well-documented article. The same goes for the 1994 genocide, where nearly a million Tutsis were killed in just three weeks, and how Kagame took over the country afterward. That story can never be told enough.

However, what made Kagame perhaps Africa’s most inspirational leader—though not quite in the same league as Nelson Mandela—was how he rebuilt Rwanda, a nation torn apart by ethnic division and deep-seated animosities between Tutsis and Hutus.

I was once an admirer of Kagame, one of those who praised him for making Rwanda one of the most peaceful countries in Africa and for achieving a significant rise in literacy rates. I saw him as an inspirational leader.

But over the years, that admiration has faded as Kagame repeats the well-worn African narrative of liberators becoming oppressors. Not only did he change the country’s constitution to allow himself to remain in power till 2034 and win elections with over 90% of the vote, but the ex-military general is also waging war against the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

How Kagame is Using M23 to Destabilize Congo

At the heart of Congo’s destabilization is the March 23 Movement, popularly known as M23, a rebel group operating in the eastern part of the country. Originally formed in 2012 by former members of the Congolese army, M23 justified its rebellion by claiming that the DRC government had failed to honor a 2009 peace agreement that promised political integration and better conditions for Congolese Tutsis. However, the group quickly gained notoriety for its violent campaigns, including the capture of Goma, a key city in eastern Congo, before being forced into retreat by joint Congolese and UN forces.

Rwanda’s involvement in the conflict is no longer a secret. Numerous reports, including those from the United Nations, provide evidence that Kagame is directly supporting M23, supplying them with arms and logistical aid. Western nations, including the U.S. and the European Union, previously pressured Rwanda to abandon its backing of M23 by threatening to withdraw financial aid, which temporarily forced Kagame to cut ties.

While the United Kingdom has announced the withdrawal of its aid to Rwanda due to the country’s role in the conflict, global attention is largely diverted to other crises. This has allowed Kagame to rekindle his support for M23, using them as a tool to exert influence in the mineral-rich DRC.

The Real Prize: Congo’s Wealth of Minerals

At the center of this conflict is the wealth of minerals found in eastern Congo. Rwanda, a small landlocked country with a population smaller than Lagos, Nigeria, and with minimal natural resources of its own, has seen its mineral exports skyrocket in recent years. Coltan, a crucial mineral used in electronics, along with gold and tantalum, are among the resources Rwanda is accused of smuggling from Congo through illicit networks controlled by armed groups, including M23. While Kagame presents Rwanda as a stable, ‘economically thriving nation’, much of its ‘prosperity’ (over 40 percent of Rwanda’s population is poor) is built on the illegal exploitation of Congolese resources, fueling an endless cycle of conflict.

According to some UN experts, about 150 tons of coltan were illegally exported to Rwanda, where it was later sold to other countries. It is believed that M23 earns at least $300,000 from seized mining sites in various areas they have captured in Congo.

“This seems to be a long game of territorial acquisition,” The New York Times quoted Dino Mahtani, a former adviser to the UN peacekeeping mission, as saying.

The fighting in Congo, a country rich in minerals from coltan to gold, has caused untold hardship and devastation for its people. One estimate suggests that nearly seven million Congolese are internally displaced. But the real crisis is hunger. According to the World Food Programme, the DRC is the country most affected by food insecurity, with a staggering 23.4 million people suffering from hunger. Additionally, 3.7 million children, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women, are acutely malnourished.

Although the government has little to offer its people, Kagame-backed militias are aggravating the instability, thereby worsening poverty in the region.

“When will the international community stop turning a blind eye to the Congolese tragedy and tolerating systematic violations of international law and human rights?” Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege, a gynecologist who has treated thousands of rape victims in Congo, asked.

Once a Victor, Now a Villain

Unfortunately, Kagame’s trajectory is not unique. Across Africa, the story of liberators transforming into autocrats is a recurring theme. Leaders who once championed freedom—whether it be Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni, or Eritrea’s Isaias Afwerki—ended up holding onto power with an iron grip. They dismantled democratic institutions, silenced dissent, and justified their extended rule under the guise of maintaining stability.

Kagame has now fully entrenched himself in this pattern, ruling Rwanda with a mix of economic progress, media suppression, and military aggression. But his case is even more alarming, as he has taken the disheartening route of destabilizing another country to maintain the perceived stability and economic growth of his own.

For me, what began as an inspirational story of a man who led his people out of exile has morphed into a cautionary tale of power’s corrupting influence. Kagame, once a beacon of hope, now mirrors the very oppressive regimes he once fought against—proving that in Africa, the line between a liberator and a dictator is often razor-thin.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Neusroom.