In the mineral-rich eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a weekend military parade by the M23 rebel group has cast a long shadow over the prospects for peace in a region battered by years of conflict and humanitarian crisis. The parade, held in Goma on Sunday, September 14, 2025, featured more than 7,000 new recruits—a staggering show of force that has left residents, rights groups, and international observers deeply uneasy about the fate of a much-anticipated peace deal between Congo and neighboring Rwanda.
The timing of this display is striking. Just weeks ahead of a peace agreement expected to be signed in Washington, D.C., the rebels’ demonstration of strength has raised urgent questions about whether the parties involved are truly committed to ending a conflict that has already claimed at least 3,000 lives and displaced millions. According to the Associated Press, the M23’s new recruits included Congolese soldiers who surrendered during fierce fighting earlier this year, as well as local militia members who fought alongside them. However, rights groups fear that the reality is far grimmer, with reports of forced recruitment—including the conscription of prisoners of war and children—casting a pall over the proceedings.
Christian Rumu, a senior campaigner with Amnesty International, didn’t mince words about the risks posed by the ongoing militarization. “We are still concerned about forced recruitment that we have documented since the takeover of the M23 in North Kivu and South Kivu, and those concerns as well have been highlighted by the recent report by the fact-finding mission of the UN Human Rights Council recently in September,” Rumu told international media outlets. His comments echo a broader sense of alarm among humanitarian organizations, who have tracked a pattern of coercion and abuse in the recruitment practices of armed groups operating in the region.
The M23’s resurgence is itself a complex story. Composed primarily of ethnic Tutsis who failed to integrate into the Congolese army after a failed insurgency in 2012, the group remained dormant for a decade before launching a series of blitz attacks in January 2025. These offensives saw the rapid capture of key cities—including Goma and Bukavu—as the Congolese army retreated in disarray. United Nations experts have since reported that the M23 received significant backing from thousands of troops from neighboring Rwanda, a claim that both Rwanda and the rebels have repeatedly denied despite mounting evidence to the contrary.
The parade in Goma, which the M23 described as a routine demonstration of strength, has been widely interpreted as a signal to both local populations and international actors. For many residents of Goma and other rebel-held cities, the sight of thousands of new fighters—some of them barely out of adolescence—was disheartening. “We’ve just seen thousands of new M23 fighters again. We are losing hope,” said Adeline Munene, a 34-year-old resident, in an interview with the Associated Press. “We thought the Washington and Doha agreements would bring peace. Now I’m disappointed.”
Christian Moleka, a Congo-based political analyst, offered a stark assessment of the parade’s significance. “(The parade) constitutes a form of materialization of an occupation that is taking root and increasingly taking the tacit form of a state within a state,” Moleka said. His words reflect a growing concern that the M23’s consolidation of territory—and its apparent capacity to recruit and mobilize large numbers of fighters—may be undermining the very foundations of the peace process.
The peace deal currently under negotiation, with mediation led by Qatar, is supposed to chart a path out of this quagmire. A central plank of the agreement is the withdrawal of Rwandan support for the M23, coupled with the return of occupied territories to Congolese authorities. Both sides have publicly committed to ending the conflict, but recent weeks have seen fresh skirmishes and mutual accusations of ceasefire violations. “This might affect the peaceful process that both the DRC, Rwanda, and M23 are trying to reach through the Doha and Washington processes,” Rumu added, underscoring the fragility of the current moment.
Underlying these political maneuvers is a humanitarian crisis of staggering proportions. The United Nations estimates that at least 3,000 people have been killed since the latest round of fighting began, with millions more uprooted from their homes. The suffering of civilians has been compounded by a litany of abuses documented by international observers. A recent report from the UN Human Rights Office details “horrific atrocities” committed over the last year by both Congo’s armed forces and the M23 rebels. These crimes include gang rape, sexual slavery, torture, and the killings of civilians. The report does not mince words in assigning blame, stating that the governments of both Congo and Rwanda bear responsibility for the ongoing violence and impunity.
Despite these grim realities, there are still those who hope for a breakthrough. The pending peace agreement, expected to be signed in Washington within weeks, represents the latest in a long line of diplomatic efforts to bring stability to eastern Congo. Previous attempts have faltered, often due to a lack of trust and the persistence of armed actors who benefit from the region’s vast mineral wealth. This time, however, international mediators are hoping that a combination of external pressure and local fatigue with war will finally tip the balance toward peace.
Yet the parade of recruits in Goma serves as a sobering reminder that the road ahead is fraught with obstacles. For many on the ground, the immediate future looks uncertain at best. Rights groups remain vigilant, documenting ongoing abuses and pressing for accountability. Residents in rebel-controlled areas oscillate between hope and despair, their lives shaped by forces far beyond their control.
The fate of the M23, the future of eastern Congo, and the prospects for lasting peace now hinge on whether the parties to the conflict can move beyond displays of strength and genuinely commit to a negotiated settlement. As the world watches and waits for the outcome of the Washington talks, the people of eastern Congo continue to bear the brunt of a war that has gone on for far too long.
With so much at stake, the coming weeks will be crucial—not just for the warring parties and their backers, but for the millions whose lives depend on the promise of peace.
