Generals in the DR Congo’s military will be questioned about war losses to M23
Local news outlets say that since at least the middle of 2022, the army in DR Congo has been questioning dozens of top military leaders as part of a “investigation into the debacle” of losses to the M23 fighters.
A letter from the military inspectorate general to the Chief of the General Staff of the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) on July 29, 2025, was leaked and says that at least 25 general officers will be questioned about what happened in eastern DR Congo that led to the fall of Bunagana and other losses. Lt Gen Christian Tshiwewe is one of these officers.
The letter has an attachment that lists Maj Gen Chicko Tshitambwe, who used to be the FARDC’s deputy chief of staff for operations and led important actions in North and South Kivu provinces, and Maj Gen Sylvain Ekenge, who is now the army spokesperson, as officers who will be called.
It says in the letter that some of the officers are in military prison and that they will be questioned from there.
Bunagana, Goma, and Bukavu all fell.
The town of Bunagana, which is close to Uganda, was taken over by the M23 fighters in the middle of 2022. It was the FARDC’s biggest loss in the war that started in late 2021. There were videos of FARDC troops running across the border into Uganda with their weapons and other military gear.
The M23 have taken over more land in eastern DR Congo since then. They are now part of a bigger rebel group called the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC). Goma and Bukavu are the biggest cities in eastern DR Congo and the provincial capitals of North and South Kivu. The rebels have been in charge of them for about eight months.
After more than two years of fighting, failed peace talks, and ceasefire deals, the AFC/M23 rebels took over Goma at the end of January. Goma is a key humanitarian city where about two million people live. As fighting got worse, Bukavu fell in the middle of February.
Thanks to Qatar’s help, the Congolese government and the AFC/M23 fighters had their first direct talks in April. The two sides signed the statement of principles for a peace deal on July 19. The deal would be signed on August 18.
The deadline to sign the Doha peace deal that could end the 30-year conflict that broke out in small wars had already passed, and fighting had started up again on the ground.
Kinshasa and AFC/M23 representatives went back to Doha on Tuesday, August 19, to start fresh talks. While they were there, the rebels said that the government coalition was attacking with drones and heavy artillery.
Since the middle of 2022, many peace attempts have been started, including those by regional groups and the African Union. In 2023 and 2024, the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) sent their own armed missions to the region, which were then taken back.
