DR Congo Announces $5M Bounty on Rebel Leaders Amid Escalating Conflict

The Democratic Republic of Congo has placed a $5 million bounty on rebel leaders as clashes intensify, signaling a firm stance against insurgency in the region.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has offered a $5 million bounty for the capture of three M23 rebel leaders: former electoral chief Corneille Nangaa, military commander Sultani Makenga, and political leader Bertrand Bisimwa. These individuals were sentenced to death in absentia last year on charges of treason.

Despite the bounty on their heads, it remains unlikely that they will be arrested, as M23 forces backed by Rwanda continue to dominate eastern DR Congo. They have seized major cities like Goma and Bukavu, resulting in thousands of deaths and displacing hundreds of thousands of people.

President Félix Tshisekedi is advocating for international sanctions on Rwanda, following a UN report that claims Rwanda has deployed troops to assist M23. Additionally, DR Congo has appealed to the United States to obtain minerals directly from its territory rather than from Rwanda, which it accuses of illegally exporting gold and coltan—vital components in electronic manufacturing.

Rwanda refutes accusations of plundering resources from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) but admits to backing M23, justifying it with security concerns due to alleged connections between Congolese forces and the FDLR, a militia associated with the 1994 Rwandan genocide—a claim that is dismissed by DRC.

According to a report by U.N. experts, approximately 4,000 Rwandan soldiers are fighting alongside M23 rebels in eastern Congo, with the rebels now holding control over the capitals of North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.

M23 is the strongest among numerous armed groups competing for influence in eastern Congo, a region rich in trillions of dollars’ worth of largely untapped mineral resources vital to global technology.