The Great Lakes

Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda

Last updated: 31 January 2025

A soldier of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo stands at a frontline military position above the M23-controlled town of Kibirizi in the eastern DRC’s North Kivu province on 14 May 2024. Photo by ALEXIS HUGUET/AFP via Getty Images

Recurrent, inter-connected conflict in Africa’s Great Lakes region spanning Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been driven by a number of factors, including competition over power, land, and natural resources. While violence is concentrated in the eastern provinces of the DRC, neighboring conflicts have impacted regional peace and security. The joint Congolese and Ugandan military force under Operation Shujaa in Ituri and North Kivu provinces has yet to bring an end to violence carried out by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), especially against civilians. Meanwhile, Burundian forces are fighting against the March 23 Movement (M23) and Rwandan military forces (RDF) in the DRC and further operations against Burundian rebel groups that operate from South Kivu province.

The DRC tends to rank high on ACLED’s Conflict Index over both local and regional tensions, with more turbulent and localized political violence driving the conflict in Burundi and Uganda. While Rwanda has been long considered stable, the offensive into the DRC led Congolese forces to launch retaliatory artillery strikes into Rwanda and may destabilize western areas of the country.

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In Focus: Armed Groups

Analysis & Reports

ACLED Specialists

Armed Groups in the Great Lakes region

The persistent conflict in the Great Lakes region has been driven by military forces, foreign-backed armed groups, rebel movements, and local militias. Since the re-emergence of the M23 in 2021, it has become the most violent group in the Great Lakes region. The M23 receives support from the RDF, or Rwanda Defence Force, whose soldiers often fight alongside the M23 and provide the rebels with advanced weapons. The ADF, an armed group operating in the eastern DRC and Uganda with reported ties to the Islamic State, has consistently carried out the most violence toward civilians in the Great Lakes. The ADF also remains a threat to Uganda, with a long history of cross-border violence. When confronting various threats, Congolese military forces (FARDC) have received support from numerous armed groups, bilateral military forces, and multilateral troops. Notably, the FARDC has drawn upon a loose association of militias under the Wazalendo coalition, that initially emerged for localized youth self-defense groups.

Members of the M23 rebel group travel in a pickup truck as they drive through a street in Goma on 29 January 29,2025. Photo by AFP via Getty Images GettyImages -2195925955 — Members of the M23 rebel group travel in a pickup truck as they drive through a street in Goma on 29 January 2025. Photo by AFP via Getty Images

Actor Analysis

Analysis & Reports

Q&A | 29 January 2025

Q&A: What is happening in and around Goma?

After more than three years of renewed operations in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the March 23 Movement (M23) and Rwandan Defence Force (RDF) soldiers laid siege to Goma city on 26 January 2025. Q&A with ACLED’s Africa Senior Analyst Ladd Serwat.