​Kagame’s occupation and looting of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) stems from two unforeseen factors: the DRC’s own disintegration and the Western world’s indifference.

Paul Kagame happily meeting with Massad Boulos, U.S. Senior Advisor for Africa on October 10, 2025

DRC finds itself in a precarious situation, ensnared between a dysfunctional state, a predatory neighbour, and opportunistic Western world, especially the Donald Trump Administration, which anticipates capitalizing on the prevailing chaos. Amidst the mounting external pressures, internal tensions are escalating, prompting concerns regarding the trajectory of President Felix Tshisekedi and his government. The prospects for a stable DRC under Tshisekedi appear bleak and uncertain.
 

Even before the Rwanda-backed M23 seized the Eastern DRC and the cities of Goma and Bukavu in January-February 2025, the Congolese people were facing a dire situation. The collapse of a substantial portion of the humanitarian aid delivery system, accelerated by the United States’ dismantling of its USAID, exacerbated the DRC crisis. The loss of foreign aid was compounded by the fact that the overwhelming majority of the 109 million Congolese population is impoverished, subsisting on less than US$3.00 per day, which aligns with the international definition of poverty. This downward spiral has made the DRC the poorest country globally, with an 85.3 percent poverty rate according to World Bank data. 

Therefore, it was not challenging for General Paul Kagame's predatory regime to support his M23 militia and consequently capture the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the cities of Goma and Bukavu. The DRC is unable to prevent this outcome. The DRC is effectively a failed state, characterized by a lack of robust professional ethical institutions that are crucial for the advancement of meaningful governance and the promotion of civil social cohesion within its borders. 

The DRC’s infrastructure and human resources, essential for safeguarding its national security and securing its borders, have long been in a state of collapse. Institutions dedicated to education and medical healthcare have been severely damaged, while institutions that promote law and justice have been hollowed out, perpetuating the illusion of the rule of law in the DRC. 

Furthermore, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s public administrative institutions are subject to opportunistic rent-seeking national elites who have mismanaged the country for 65 years. DRC politicians exhibit a remarkable level of opportunism. Joseph Kabila apparently joined Kagame’s M23, leading the Tshisekedi government to sentence Kabila to death in absentia. Kabila, who held the presidency of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for 18 years, was convicted of treason by a court in Kinshasa on September 30, 2025.

The prevailing global political climate has significantly exacerbated the current dire situation in the DRC. In contrast to 2012, when Kagame and his M23 forces were promptly evicted from Goma a day after capturing it, their control over Goma and Bukavu since January 2025 has persisted for nearly a year without any repercussions. The difference is that in 2012, President Barack Obama applied punitive sanctions on Rwanda, including suspending foreign aid, an act that was adopted by all Western powers, forcing Kagame out of the DRC. Fast-forward to 2025—the response to Rwanda’s capture of the DRC territories by the Donald Trump Administration is to make “business deals.” In the meantime, Rwanda has a free hand in exploiting the Kagame’s occupation and looting of the DRC. 

What prospects lie ahead for the inhabitants of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the immediate future? The outlook is bleak. Paul Kagame’s primary support for looting and occupying the DRC stems from two unforeseen sources — the DRC’s own disintegration and Western apathy. Kagame has assumed the role of an emperor, exercising control not only over Rwanda but also over the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo territories. For the moment, nobody can ably stand in the way of Empiror Kagame.