Polish Grot Rifle in the Hands of African Rebels

Polish-made Grot rifles reached Africa through contracts signed in May 2022 and September 2023 by Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (Polish Armaments Group) with an undisclosed African country or countries. The first contract involved a version chambered for 7.62 mm x 39 ammunition, equipped with a DCM-1 Szafir sight produced by PCO S.A. Details of the second contract remain classified, including the specifications, the quantity of rifles acquired by the unnamed country, and the contract value.

The seized weapons include various designs from different parts of the world, such as China and Serbia. However, particular attention has been drawn to the Polish-made MSBS Grot rifle. How did it end up in the hands of the rebels? According to the DRC government, the M23 rebels are supported by Rwanda, which acquired Grot rifles. Rwanda, however, denies these allegations.

Further investigation revealed that at least one of the contracts was linked to Rwanda. A Rwandan soldier was photographed holding a Grot rifle equipped only with backup iron sights and an under-barrel GP grenade launcher using 40x46 mm ammunition. Recently, a photo surfaced on X (formerly Twitter) showing firearms captured by the DRC’s soldiers from M23 rebels.

M23 Massacres in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Congolese Revolutionary Army, also known as M23 (March 23 Movement/Mouvement du 23 Mars), re-emerged in 2022. Originally formed in 2012, it operated mainly in North Kivu province in eastern DRC, where it launched a rebellion that was ultimately suppressed in 2013 by the combined forces of the Congolese army (FARDC) and the UN’s Force Intervention Brigade. Afterward, M23 fighters fled primarily to Uganda and operated on a limited scale in the border region between DRC, Uganda, and Rwanda.

In March 2022, M23 launched an offensive in North Kivu, capturing several towns. Initial clashes involved DRC forces and UN peacekeeping troops (MONUSCO). The DRC government accused Rwanda of supporting M23, an allegation Rwanda denies. Ugandan forces also engaged in the fighting alongside the DRC. Over the following months, clashes and ceasefires alternated. During this period, M23 committed multiple massacres against civilians.

In November 2022, M23 killed over 100 civilians, including several children, in the Rutsuhuru region. M23 is one of more than 100 active armed groups in DRC. Its resurgence has severely destabilised the country, jeopardising the safety of its population. Further offensives by the Congolese Revolutionary Army are anticipated in the coming weeks or months.

Current Situation

Paweł Wójcik, Opportunity Institute for Foreign Affairs, comments: „At the beginning of 2025, the conflict in eastern Congo escalated further, with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group capturing the town of Masisi, just 80 km from Goma. This advance, along with other recent gains, has disrupted efforts by Kinshasa to suppress the rebels. Reports suggest growing frustration within the DRC government towards Romanian mercenaries stationed in Goma, whose ineffectiveness may have been exacerbated by the arrest of their leader in Romania following a coup attempt”.

”As resources were redirected to Goma, Operation Shouja, aimed at combating the Islamic State Central Africa Province (formerly ADF), was scaled back. This allowed jihadists to launch a new wave of terror. In the past month alone, ISCAP is believed to have killed between 300 and 350 Christians, with dozens more forcibly converted after being captured. This may strengthen the Islamic State’s capacity to conduct cross-border operations into Uganda and deploy operatives across Africa, where it controls territory and seeks resources”.

What Next?

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s soldiers have seized firearms, including Polish-made Grot rifles, from M23 rebels allegedly supported by Rwanda. Unfortunately, this is not the only Polish weaponry that has ended up in Rwanda. To be clear, weapons from the United States, France, Israel, Turkey, and China have also surfaced in Africa. However, the issue here is different—Rwanda was supposed to ensure that this equipment remained solely for its armed forces.

Poland has the potential to become one of the more prominent arms suppliers to Africa. However, incidents like the one described above raise concerns. There are fears within Warsaw’s leadership that Polish-made weapons could fall into the wrong hands.

Authors: dr. Aleksander Olech, Adam Świerkowski