By In 2023, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and South Sudan recorded the world’s largest increases in military spending, reflecting the deepening instability in the region and the complex interplay of conflict, resource wealth, and human rights abuses.
According to a recent report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the DRC’s military budget more than doubled, rising 105% to $794 million—approximately R15 billion—while South Sudan followed with a 78% increase, reaching over $1 billion. These figures mark the steepest year-on-year rises globally, set against a backdrop of escalating violence and the exploitation of valuable resources like cobalt.
The DRC’s spending surge is largely attributed to ongoing conflict in its eastern regions, particularly in North Kivu province, which borders Rwanda and Uganda. After a brief period of relative calm in 2023, fighting resumed in October, driven by the activities of the March 23 Movement (M23), a Rwandan-backed rebel group.
M23, part of the Congo River Alliance, has been a persistent thorn in the Congolese government’s side since its formation in 2012, displacing large numbers of people and exacerbating regional tensions. The Congolese government has accused Rwanda of supporting M23, with tensions escalating to the point where the DRC rejected Rwanda’s participation in regional peacekeeping efforts.
The United States has also imposed sanctions on Rwandan General Andrew Nyamvumba for his alleged role in backing the rebels, highlighting the international dimensions of the conflict (Wikipedia, 2025).
South Sudan’s 78% increase in military spending, following a 108% rise in 2022, is similarly tied to violence. The country has faced escalating internal conflicts and security challenges spilling over from Sudan’s civil war. In the last quarter of 2023, civilian violence surged by 35% compared to the previous quarter, with clashes involving armed youth in Warrap, Lakes, Western Bar El Ghazal, and the disputed Abyei territory.
As South Sudan prepares for its first elections since gaining independence in 2011, scheduled for December 2025, the increased military expenditure reflects the government’s struggle to maintain stability amid persistent unrest (Africa Defense Forum, 2024).
These military spending increases occur in a broader global context where military budgets rose by 6.8% in 2023, reaching a record $2,443 billion—the steepest rise since 2009, according to SIPRI. Conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, alongside tensions in Asia and Oceania, have driven this global trend, but the African continent’s challenges are uniquely tied to resource wealth and exploitation.
The DRC, historically a major producer of copper, cobalt, and industrial diamonds—accounting for 10%, 50%, and 70% of global supply respectively by 1959—remains a focal point of resource-driven conflict. Cobalt, a critical component in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, smartphones, and other electronics, is at the heart of this issue.
A staggering 40,000 child slaves are estimated to work in the DRC’s cobalt mines under appalling conditions, as highlighted by activist Herbthefox on X. These children toil in what Harvard researcher Siddharth Kara describes as “slave-like” conditions, with frequent injuries and deaths from mine collapses.
Kara notes, “There’s complete cross-contamination between industrial excavator-derived cobalt and cobalt dug by women and children with their bare hands,” underscoring the impossibility of a “clean” cobalt supply chain from the DRC (NPR, 2023).
The revenue from these resources often fuels the very conflicts driving military spending. In the DRC, the government’s increased budget supports not only its own forces—evident in images of heavily armed Congolese soldiers shared by African Hub on X—but also the presence of private military companies, with around 900 personnel operating in North Kivu by mid-2023.
These forces are training Congolese troops, further militarizing the region. Meanwhile, the human cost remains staggering, with child labor and displacement continuing unabated.
South Sudan, while not a major cobalt producer, faces similar challenges with resource management and conflict. Its military spending increase has done little to curb violence, as the country grapples with internal divisions and the spillover effects of Sudan’s civil war. The upcoming elections will be a critical test of whether South Sudan can break the cycle of violence and instability.
The situation in both nations underscores a broader paradox: immense resource wealth coexists with profound human suffering and conflict. As global demand for cobalt and other minerals grows—driven by the push for net-zero technologies—the international community must grapple with the ethical implications of its supply chains.
For the DRC and South Sudan, breaking the cycle of violence and exploitation will require not just military solutions, but sustained diplomatic and humanitarian efforts to address the root causes of instability.
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