Dozens of senior military officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been summoned for questioning as part of an investigation into major battlefield losses to the M23 rebels since mid-2022, according to local media reports.
A leaked letter from the military inspectorate general, dated July 29, 2025, revealed that at least 25 generals will face questioning, including former Chief of General Staff Lt Gen Christian Tshiwewe. Also mentioned are Maj Gen Chicko Tshitambwe, former deputy chief of staff for operations, and Maj Gen Sylvain Ekenge, the current army spokesperson.
The inquiry comes in the wake of the fall of Bunagana in 2022, a critical border town with Uganda, where videos showed Congolese soldiers fleeing across the border with weapons and equipment. Since then, the M23—now part of the broader Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) has tightened its grip on eastern DR Congo.
For more than eight months, the rebels have controlled Goma and Bukavu, the provincial capitals of North and South Kivu. Goma, a strategic humanitarian hub with a population of around two million, fell in late January 2025, while Bukavu followed in mid-February.
Despite multiple ceasefire attempts, regional interventions by the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and mediation by Qatar, the conflict has dragged on. In April, Kinshasa and AFC/M23 leaders held their first direct talks, leading to a July 19 declaration of principles for a peace deal expected to be signed on August 18. However, the deadline passed without agreement as fighting reignited.
As both sides resumed negotiations in Doha on August 19, the rebels accused government forces of launching drone and heavy artillery strikes, raising fresh doubts about the fragile peace process.
The investigation into senior Congolese military officials signals growing pressure on the army to explain its defeats and restore public trust as the DRC struggles with one of the longest-running conflicts in Africa.
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