DR Congo: Assessing Social Media Perceptions of the SADC Military Deployment in the DRC, March 2024

ReliefWeb: Updates by Country 30.03.2024 16:31 Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo Source: Insecurity Insight Please refer to the attached file. Summary This brief presents findings on public sentiment expressed on Facebook towards the new Southern African Development Community military mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . In response to the deteriorating situation in eastern DRC due to the resurgence of the March 23 Movement rebel group, SADC deployed a military force in order to stabilise the region in December 2023. An analysis of online sentiment gathered from Facebook comments from 1 January to 29 February 2024 revealed that a majority of social media users expressed negative views toward the SADC deployment. Criticisms included scepticism about foreign intervention, doubts about the effectiveness of past and current missions, suspicions of motives such as resource exploitation, and calls for stronger reliance on the national army. Despite some positive sentiments, concerns persist regarding the SADC force's ability to address the conflict effectively. Finally, research on X indicates that the SADC is also being targeted by disinformation by pro-M23 accounts on the social media platform.

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