For many ordinary Africans in Uganda and Rwanda, the M23 rebellion was a fight for survival of the apparently marginalised Banyamulenge people, who are a collection of Congolese Citizens with Rwandese origin.

BUT the real beneficiaries of the conflict were reportedly Ugandan generals led by one of the senior officers in Uganda army together with a number of Rwandan officials who were engaged in exploiting the mineral rich areas using M23 as their main cover.

The trouble started when the M23 rebels that were seen close to the Rwandan military generals captured Goma city last year. Then Gen Salim Saleh of Uganda reportedly fearing the impending supremacy of this faction, colluded with president Museveni to force the M23 out of Goma under a pretext of international pressure.

Bishop Runinga leading this military assault, first refused, but was prevailed upon and he lost his influence after that, and has since left the rebellion and relocated to Kigali.

The Group that assumed supremacy of the rebel leadership after the departure of Runiga, became too close to Salim Saleh, and this quietly unsettled the Rwandese, who were reported to have withdrawn their support and weapons from M23 rebels in favour of grooming a new group of their own. But the Ugandan supported Group was defeated by the Tanzanians /South African force this week before the new Rwandan Group could take shape.

However, intelligence reports in DR Congo has it that Museveni and Salim Saleh have now launched another group of Congolese calling themselves M18, who have attacked DRC from West Nile and they are the ones reported to have overrun a camp of Ugandan DRC based rebels where NRM MP Tony Kipoi was reported captured with them.

Ends