U.S. Congressman Calls for M23 Integration Into DRC Army
“The Congolese military is not even fighting back right now,” Jackson said. “In some cases, they are laying down their weapons and joining M23,”
U.S. Congressman Ronny Jackson has returned from a regional tour of Central Africa with a controversial proposal to help resolve the ongoing crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): the integration of M23 rebels into the Congolese national army.
In a statement to Congress, Jackson, who recently met with leaders in Kinshasa and Kigali, said the Congolese government must address longstanding issues of inclusion and citizenship — particularly among the Rwandophone communities often associated with M23 — and offer armed groups like M23 a path into the national fold.
“There has to be an effort somehow to incorporate [M23] into the Congolese military and make them feel like Congolese citizens that are protecting their country,” said Jackson, who also met with Presidents Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame during his visit.
“That’s one of the problems — people who have lived in Congo for generations are not treated as citizens.”
Jackson’s comments reflect a growing international call for a political solution to the crisis, but they also risk reopening old wounds.
In 2009, a peace agreement between former President Joseph Kabila and M23’s predecessor group, CNDP, led to the rebels’ integration into the national army.
That agreement ultimately collapsed after Kinshasa was accused of failing to uphold its end of the deal, including the promised ranks and responsibilities.
Again in 2013, a new agreement allowed for M23 fighters to reintegrate under certain conditions — but this too fell apart after the government reportedly failed to respect security guarantees and political concessions.
More recently, under President Félix Tshisekedi, M23 leaders had entered into a preliminary understanding with Kinshasa that included forming a “special force” — a compromise intended to allow M23 combatants to serve under a unified command while addressing their grievances.
However, the plan was quietly dropped by the Congolese government, reigniting suspicions and pushing M23 back into rebellion.
“The Congolese military is not even fighting back right now,” Jackson said. “In some cases, they are laying down their weapons and joining M23.”
State absence
Jackson painted a grim picture of eastern DRC, describing it as an “ungoverned space” where the central government has virtually no control.
“Right now, the eastern DRC is a completely ungoverned area. It’s like the Wild, Wild East,” he said.
“The government in Kinshasa does not have the resources or the ability to really impact what’s happening there. They’ve become, in my mind, just another entity trying to take advantage of the resources there.”
He also highlighted the level of state corruption, which he said was among the worst he had seen.
He cited an example of a Swiss company with an annual value of $18 billion being slapped with an $80 billion tax bill — a figure later negotiated down to $1 billion, still hundreds of times greater than its profits.
“There’s a biased justice system… manipulated exchange rates, unreasonable fines, bribes everywhere,” Jackson said.
“Evidence is everywhere that members of the government and their families are getting filthy rich while the population is starving.”
He added that U.S. and Western companies, unlike Chinese firms, are unwilling to pay bribes, putting them at a disadvantage in the resource-rich region.
FDLR
Jackson also addressed Rwanda’s concerns over the FDLR militia, which has carried out attacks inside Rwandan territory.
He argued that regional cooperation — involving Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, and the DRC — is key to establishing a framework where all parties have a stake in peace.
“This has to be a region that’s beneficial for everybody… Everyone has to see profit in peace,” he said, proposing joint refining or resource-sharing ventures as an incentive for stability.
Jackson also highlighted the economic stakes, noting that DRC’s mineral wealth — estimated at over $24 trillion — could transform the region if peace and investment were made possible.
But he warned that corruption, insecurity, and poor governance in the DRC continue to deter American and other Western investors.
