Did Russia’s Putin Interfere in DR Congo’s Ongoing War?
There has been a circulating claim on X that Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for the unity of African nations in resolving the ongoing conflict in DR Congo.
The claim which had a blurry image of the Russian president, Vladmir Putin and his Rwanda counterpart, Paul Kagame was posted by on January 31, 2025, by @BRICS Reports, with the caption: “The president of russia,vladimir putin, has issued a call for the unity of all African nations in helping to resolve the war between the DR Congo forces and Rwandan backed M23 rebels Africa has always been the home of peace,the kremlin says.”
The post has had over 17,600 views, 68 comments, 27 retweets and reposts, 141 likes and 21 bookmarks as of the time this post was published.
VERIFICATION
Google reverse image search was used on the image and found out that the image of Putin has been in circulation for over 2 years, it was found here, here, here, and here with the image credit being, ‘Mikhail Klimentyev / AFP / AP / SPUTNIK via Getty Images.’
Meanwhile, the image of Kagame has been circulating online since August 2021 as can be seen here and here, the image description and credit on one of the images reads, ‘Rwandan President Paul Kagame delivers a speech during the official visit of his Central African counterpart Faustin-Archange Touadéra, on August 5 in Kigali, Rwanda. (HABIMANA THIERRY / ANADOLU AGENCY via GETTY IMAGES).’
Is Putin interfering in DR Congo’s Ongoing War?
The M23 rebels, who have been advancing in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), are armed and supplied. These rebels claim to protect Congolese Tutsis from persecution, but this threat is disputed. Also, it has been alleged by Amnesty International that Rwanda funds the rebels and that it is her proxy force, but Rwanda denies this, according to BBC.
A thorough search by NV-A showed no public record of Putin specifically calling for the unity of all African nations to help resolve the conflict between the DRC forces and the M23 rebels, but the Russian Foreign Ministry called for a ceasefire in the DRC. On January 27, 2025, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement expressing concern over the escalating violence in eastern DRC, particularly the activities of the M23 rebel group. The ministry called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the resumption of peace negotiations.
This call aligns with broader international efforts to address the conflict. For instance, on January 29, 2025, Rwanda’s Foreign Minister called for a ceasefire throughout eastern Congo and urged the DRC government to engage in direct talks with the M23 rebels.
Additionally, on January 31, 2025, East African leaders, including Kenyan President William Ruto, called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in eastern DRC and urged the Kinshasa government to engage directly with the M23 rebels to resolve the conflict.
Finally, while President Putin has expressed support for African nations in combating terrorism and extremism, there is no specific record of him calling for a united African effort to address the DRC-M23 conflict.
CONCLUSION
The claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for the unity of African nations in resolving the ongoing conflict in DR Congo is MISLEADING as there is no record of him making such a statement but has joined the international community to call for a cease fire in the ongoing conflict.
