The M23 rebel group has declared the key city of Goma under its control, signalling a major blow to the Congolese army and a serious escalation in the years-long conflict that has seen hundreds of people killed and millions displaced in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Goma’s reported capture on Monday came after M23 – which the United Nations says is backed by neighbouring Rwanda – advanced rapidly on Congolese army positions last week. Throughout the day, a barrage of gunfire and explosions rocked the city, which is the capital of North Kivu province and a regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts.
Hundreds of thousands of residents and previously displaced people fled to neighbouring towns in panic. Social media footage showed huge crowds moving on foot and motorbikes, carrying luggage on their heads and backs.
The crisis, which reignited in 2022, has displaced millions of civilians in the eastern DRC. More than 237,000 people were displaced in January alone, according to a recent report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Here’s what you need to know about M23’s ambitions and the latest fighting:
Who are the M23 rebels and who backs them?
M23, or the March 23 Movement, is one of hundreds of armed groups operating in the eastern DRC and seeking to control critical mineral mines. The group is composed of Tutsi fighters and claims to be fighting for the rights of the DRC’s minority Tutsi population. It emerged in 2012 after a group from the armed forces of the DRC (FARDC) broke away, complaining of ill-treatment.
The DRC government and the UN accuse Rwanda under President Paul Kagame of supporting M23 with soldiers and weapons in a bid to control the mineral-rich eastern DRC. Rwanda denies the charge and accuses the DRC of harbouring members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, an anti-Kagame rebel group that was involved in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The UN estimates there are up to 4,000 Rwandan soldiers in the DRC.
In 2012, M23 first seized Goma, but the Congolese army, supported by a UN force, pushed the rebels back into the eastern hills on the border with Rwanda in 2013.
However, the DRC faced a resurgence of M23 violence in 2022. The group has since advanced on Goma, seizing territory in battles with the Congolese army and two peacekeeping missions: the UN mission to the DRC (MONUSCO) and the South African Development Community (SADC) Mission in the DRC. South African troops, as part of the UN mission, were crucial in the 2013 defeat of M23.
European mercenaries from France, Romania and Belarus also support the Congolese army.
What happened in the lead-up to Monday’s events?
M23 has intensified its offensive on Goma since the beginning of the year, capturing nearby towns like Sake and Minova along the way.
On Friday, Major General Peter Cirimwami, the military governor of North Kivu province, was killed on the front lines.
Civilians from M23-captured areas fled to Goma although they were unsure of their safety there.
“We are going to Goma, but I heard that there are bombs in Goma too, so now we don’t know where to go,” Adele Shimiye told The Associated Press news agency. Others fled to border crossings with Rwanda where immigration officials carefully checked travel documents.
On Saturday, M23 said it would capture Goma and warned the army and peacekeepers to surrender by 3am (01:00 GMT) on Monday.
At a UN Security Council emergency meeting on Sunday, officials condemned the M23 advance and confirmed that 13 peacekeepers were killed from Friday to Saturday. South Africa said nine of its soldiers were killed trying to fend off M23’s advance on Goma while the UN said three Malawian soldiers and one Uruguayan were also killed.
Bintou Keita, the UN’s special representative to the DRC, said at the meeting that nonessential UN staff had begun evacuating but warned that “we are trapped” as M23 declared the airspace over Goma closed and roads to the city were blocked.
Meanwhile, the United States, United Kingdom and France warned their citizens to leave Goma as residents poured out of the city.
ALJAZEERA
