The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has announced a $5 million bounty for the capture of three rebel leaders accused of treason and orchestrating armed insurgencies in the country’s volatile east.
The reward targets Corneille Nangaa, the leader of the Congo River Alliance, along with M23 rebel commanders Sultani Makenga and Bertrand Bisimwa.
Nangaa, a former head of DRC’s electoral commission, has been actively rallying support in cities under M23 control. Alongside Makenga and Bisimwa, he was tried in absentia last year by a military court and sentenced to death for treason. The Congolese government is now seeking their arrest as part of its efforts to weaken the rebellion.
In addition to the $5 million bounty for the rebel leaders, authorities have offered $4 million for the capture of two exiled journalists and other individuals the government describes as “accomplices.” However, with the rebels continuing to gain ground, the likelihood of immediate arrests remains uncertain.
The M23, backed by neighboring Rwanda, has captured vast areas of eastern DRC, including Goma and Bukavu, two of the region’s largest cities. The Congolese military has struggled to contain the advance, prompting President Félix Tshisekedi to focus on diplomatic efforts rather than direct military action.
Tshisekedi has been pressing the international community to impose sanctions on Rwanda for its role in the conflict. A United Nations report last year revealed that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were working alongside the M23 inside DRC. Rwanda, while no longer denying its ties to the rebels, claims its involvement is meant to prevent instability from spilling into its own territory.
The ongoing violence has led to widespread displacement, with thousands killed and hundreds of thousands forced to flee their homes. The conflict is further complicated by accusations that Rwanda is exploiting DRC’s mineral wealth, particularly gold and coltan—key resources used in mobile phones and other electronics.
In a bid to counter Rwanda’s influence, DRC has reached out to the United States for support, offering direct access to its mineral resources in exchange for assistance in combating the M23 rebels. Tshisekedi’s administration argues that US companies should source strategic minerals directly from DRC rather than through Rwanda, which it accuses of smuggling the materials.
The crisis has deepened ethnic tensions in the region.
Both M23 and Rwanda’s leadership are dominated by ethnic Tutsis, while DRC’s government has been accused by Kigali of collaborating with the FDLR, a militia linked to perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Kinshasa denies these allegations, further fueling the diplomatic standoff between the two nations.
