This analysis critiques three dominant narratives around the M23 Movement's influence on conflict in eastern DRC, suggesting a new lens of understanding.
The Rwanda-backed M23 Movement has escalated the war in eastern DRC. This article moves away from dominant—at times, problematic—interpretations of the conflict common in certain strands of Peace and Conflict Studies. Drawing on debates from the second wave of African political science, it formulates three critiques of prevailing explanations: a critique of deep-rooted causalities, a critique of African exceptionalism, and a critique of postcolonial sovereigntist framings. It calls for reconceptualizing the war through the lens of local agency, global imperial ambitions, and violence legitimized by lethal sovereigntist narratives.
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Aymar Nyenyezi Bisoka (2025) studied this question.
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