Rwanda’s Secret War Tactics in Congo: Spies, Smuggling, Drones

In the war-torn provinces of eastern Congo, bullets aren’t the only weapons being used. Lies, spies, and secret planes are just as dangerous. According to the latest UN Group of Experts report (May 2025), the Rwandan government, under President Paul Kagame, is running a secret network across Congo, Uganda, and Rwanda to manipulate the war, silence critics, and loot Congo’s resources.

This is not a new war. But what’s new is how deep the web goes.

Covert Spies in Civilian Clothes

The report confirms that Rwandan intelligence officers are secretly operating inside Congo. These agents don’t wear uniforms or badges. Instead, they blend in, disguised as aid workers, journalists, or even civilians in refugee camps.

Their job is to spy. They gather information about Congolese army positions, local resistance groups, and international monitors. Some also help plan M23 rebel operations, serving as invisible commanders and messengers. In some zones, they’ve taken full control of communications and civilian administration under rebel occupation.

These spies don’t just collect data, they create confusion, making it harder for outsiders to understand what’s happening. In areas like Rutshuru and Bunagana, several “local leaders” were later confirmed to be Rwandan operatives, manipulating the community and relaying intelligence to Kigali.

Smuggling Routes: Congo’s Wealth Flows East

Congo is rich in minerals, gold, coltan, and cassiterite. But in M23-controlled areas, these resources are no longer helping the Congolese people. Instead, they are being stolen, smuggled, and sold through a criminal network involving Uganda and Rwanda.

The UN report explains how minerals mined in eastern Congo are transported across the border, often with the help of corrupt border officials. Once in Rwanda or Uganda, the origin of the minerals is changed using fake papers, and they are sold to international markets as “clean” exports.

This smuggling network is what keeps M23 alive. The money from stolen minerals is used to buy weapons, pay Militias, and bribe officials. Kigali’s fingerprints are everywhere, from the mining sites to the export terminals.

Drones in the Sky, Fear on the Ground

Perhaps the most alarming discovery in the UN report is that Rwanda has used military drones and aircraft inside Congolese airspace.

These drones are not just for surveillance. The report confirms they have been used to strike Congolese army positions, spy on troop movements, and support M23 offensives.

Flying military hardware into another country without permission is a clear violation of international law. But Rwanda has done it repeatedly, without facing serious consequences.

This air power gives M23 an unfair advantage on the battlefield, and it sends a chilling message: we control the skies, and the world is watching but doing nothing.

A Battle of Words: Propaganda and Misinformation

While soldiers fight on the ground, another war is happening online and in global media, a war of words. The Rwandan government has spent years building a narrative that M23 is not a rebel group, but a “legitimate movement.”

This is propaganda at its finest. Kagame’s government claims M23 is fighting for justice and the rights of Congolese Tutsis. But as the UN report shows, M23 is responsible for massacres, rapes, child recruitment, and war crimes. It is not a political movement. It is a militia.

• READ: Inside M23’s Brutality: Massacres, Child Soldiers, Sex Violence

Kigali also attacks those who speak the truth. The Rwandan government has tried to discredit UN investigators, accusing them of bias. Experts who reveal Rwanda’s involvement in Congo are quickly labeled as “genocide deniers,” a serious and dangerous accusation that shuts down honest debate.

This tactic is meant to scare critics, silence whistleblowers, and protect Rwanda’s image internationally, even while its troops and proxies commit crimes across the border

The Bigger Picture: Kagame’s Hidden Hand

When we look at the war in eastern Congo, we often focus on M23 fighters on the ground. But the real power lies elsewhere, in Kigali, in the shadows, behind press statements and diplomatic smiles.

President Kagame’s regime is deeply involved in the war, not only through weapons and troops, but through spies, smugglers, media control, and illegal air operations.

This is Rwanda’s secret web. And it is strangling eastern Congo