THE WAR OF NARRATIVES: EXAMINING THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST M23.

THE ACCUSATIONS

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has made serious allegations against the M23 movement. He claims that M23, allegedly backed by Rwanda, has committed war crimes in Eastern DRC. These accusations include:

1. Launching attacks on civilian areas in Goma using “heavy weapons.”

2. Abducting FARDC soldiers and Congolese police officers and allegedly forcing them into training camps.

3. Executing individuals without trial.

4. Raping women and children.

5. Recruiting underage boys into combat.

6. Entering hospitals and abducting over 122 people suspected to be affiliated with FARDC or Wazalendo, who are still missing.

7. Launching attacks in both North and South Kivu, allegedly with the support of Rwandan troops.

Volker Türk insists that justice must be served and that Rwanda must withdraw its troops and cease all support for M23.

DECONSTRUCTING THE NARRATIVE

But what is the United Nations? It is a house of power, not justice. The UN is not a neutral institution. It is a political instrument, serving the interests of the powerful under the veil of diplomacy and neutrality. It is a structure that is far removed from the day-to-day realities on the ground.

It is important to understand that the United Nations does not independently verify most of its field reports. Instead, it relies heavily on third-party data, especially from organizations and states that have vested interests. In the Congo, that source is Kinshasa. Reports from the DRC government, a party to the conflict, are taken at face value and echoed by the UN.

Belgium, acting as a middleman, feeds exaggerated reports into this system. These reports are accepted without scrutiny and amplified by the global media. This is how narratives are built—not on verified facts but on political convenience.

THE REALITY ON THE GROUND

Despite the UN’s attempts to shape the narrative, the truth cannot be hidden.

M23’s current position was not handed to them. It was earned through strategic brilliance, grassroots support, and an unshakeable commitment to justice for a people long excluded.

Let us dismantle the lies, starting with the claim that M23 is using “heavy weapons” against civilians.

Let us ask:

Who has helicopters? The government.

Who uses BM21 rocket launchers? The government.

Who has tanks and armoured personnel carriers? The government.

What does M23 have? Discipline, training, a cause, and the will of a people. So where are these heavy weapons?

VOLUNTARY RECRUITS, NOT FORCED CONSCRIPTS

Volker Türk’s claim that M23 is abducting FARDC soldiers and police officers and “training them” is misleading. The reality is different:

1. Many FARDC soldiers voluntarily defect to M23 because of poor leadership, corruption, and abuse within the Congolese military.

2. Those who defected and did not wish to stay were released and returned safely to Kinshasa.

These are not abductions—they are defections by choice. M23 did not force anyone.

Furthermore, the claim that M23 is recruiting underage boys is another lie meant to inflame public opinion. M23 has more adult recruits than it can handle. Why would it need children?

MANUFACTURED VICTIM HOOD AND THE ROLE OF BELGIUM

Let us now address the most cynical lie—the claim that M23 massacred Hutu farmers who were in their fields planting.

Think: who plants crops in a war zone? Who camps in a battlefield? Bullets are flying, and they are tilling the land?

This lie was invented to cover the deaths of FDLR fighters. When the FDLR loses men in battle, Kinshasa cries “civilian massacre.” It is a propaganda tactic.

The entire objective is to paint M23 as genocidal aggressors and portray FDLR fighters as innocent peasants.

But it goes deeper.

Belgium, the same colonial force that engineered divisions in the Great Lakes region, is once again pulling the strings. Today, it seeks to:

Protect and rehabilitate the FDLR.

Redraw ethnic lines in the region.

Use the FDLR as a proxy for long-term influence.

Belgium’s involvement is not about peace. It is about control.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

This is not just about M23. It is about how narratives are built and weaponized.

The UN, under the influence of countries like Belgium, is trying to crush a legitimate resistance by turning global opinion against it.

But no lie can stand forever.

M23 may not be perfect, but its struggle is real. The Tutsi people in Eastern Congo have been denied citizenship, excluded from political participation, and targeted for extermination.

M23 emerged as a response to that persecution.

These are not criminals. These are people who have been pushed to the wall and decided to fight back. They are organized. They are disciplined. They are supported by the people.

The real criminals are those who manufacture lies, manipulate international institutions, and protect genocidal militias under the banner of “sovereignty.”

A Movement Not Built on Looting

M23 has never looted or pillaged to support its struggle. The movement is composed of disciplined, trained, and ideologically grounded fighters. Accusations of looting are psychological operations meant to dehumanize and delegitimize their cause.

This is in stark contrast to groups like Wazalendo, who:

Loot shops, hospitals, and schools.

Steal from local populations, including maize and goats.

Rely on pillaging for sustenance.

The truth is:

“Wazalendo is a failed paramilitary project made up of criminals and ethnic extremists.”

The Double Standard

Why is the UN not holding the Kinshasa government accountable for its:

Alliance with the FDLR, a UN-sanctioned terrorist group?

Recruitment of children into Wazalendo?

Deployment of genocidaires in government positions?

Why is there no investigation into:

The abductions and killings of Tutsi civilians by Wazalendo and its partners?

The use of state aircraft to bomb ?

Clearly, the UN applies selective outrage. When Kinshasa commits crimes, silence follows. When M23 fights back, condemnation erupts.

Rwanda – A Convenient Scapegoat

Every time M23 advances militarily or politically, Rwanda is blamed.

Rwanda is accused of backing M23 without credible proof.

International media picks up the story and runs with it, ignoring Rwanda’s repeated denials.

But no one questions:

Why Rwandophones are consistently targeted in Congo

Why Tutsis are not considered Congolese despite living there for generations

Why M23, a movement formed by Congolese citizens, is labelled “foreign”

This scapegoating serves the interests of those who want to:

Divert attention from Congo’s internal failures

Reignite ethnic hatred for political gain

Prevent lasting peace based on justice and inclusion

Who Is Behind the Smear Campaign?

The smear campaign against M23 is orchestrated by a network of actors with shared interests:

Kinshasa regime, desperate to maintain power by blaming outsiders.

Belgian intelligence, seeking to sustain its post-colonial influence.

Certain UN officials, who rely on Kinshasa for access and funding.

International NGOs, who profit from instability.

They all have one thing in common:

A fear of a stable and self-determined Eastern Congo.

M23 challenges the status quo. That is its “crime.”

What the World Must Know

It is time for Africans and the global community to:

Stop accepting UN narratives without scrutiny.

Demand transparent investigations into all alleged war crimes — not just those attributed to M23.

Recognize that M23’s struggle is rooted in resistance to genocide, exclusion, and statelessness.

We must ask: Why is it a crime for Tutsis to fight back? Why is self-defense labelled “rebellion” only when it comes from the oppressed?

The Burden of Truth

The truth carries a heavy burden — especially in a world where power writes history.

But no matter how loud the lies, they cannot bury justice. The story of M23 is still being written, and one day the world will recognize the courage it takes to rise from the ashes of rejection and exclusion.

This report is not an apology. It is a declaration. That African resistance is not terrorism. That justice must never be one-sided. That the people of Eastern Congo deserve to live in dignity and safety — regardless of their ethnicity.

DELAYED, NOT DESTROYED

Justice may be delayed, but it will not be destroyed.

The truth is like a river. It finds its path.

M23’s story will not be buried under reports drafted in offices thousands of miles away. It will be told by those who live it, fight for it, and die for it.

The world is watching, and the people are awakening.

We will not be silenced.

🗞️ THE AFRICA WE WANT MAGAZINE | August 2025 Edition