A new conflict is emerging in Africa. What’s happening at the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda?
Supported by Rwanda, Congolese rebels from the M23 movement have announced the capture of the major city of Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Reports indicate the deaths of international peacekeepers, and hundreds of thousands of residents have fled their homes amid fears that the long-standing conflict may erupt into a large-scale regional war once again.
RBC-Ukraine reports on the situation at the border between the DRC and Rwanda.
What is happening in eastern DRC and what is Rwanda's role
Over the weekend, rebels from the M23 group, with the support of the Rwandan army, invaded the suburbs of Goma, causing mass panic and flight among the population. Intense fighting around the provincial capital of North Kivu, which has a population of about one million, has resumed in recent weeks. The "March 23 Movement" (or M23 group) launched an offensive following the failure of mediation efforts under Angola's auspices.
Photo: Goma is located on the eastern border with Rwanda (SkyNews map)
Today, the rebels entered the central part of the city. According to Reuters, it is unclear whether they maintain control over the entire city. Locals and officials report that the DRC government army and UN peacekeepers are still at the airport.
"There is chaos in the city. Near the airport, we see soldiers, but I haven't seen M23 yet. There are also reports of looting in stores," said one eyewitness.
In the airport area, in the center of Goma, and closer to the border with Rwanda, sporadic gunfire can be heard. Unverified videos have surfaced on social media showing locals raiding a customs warehouse, while columns of well-armed M23 militants are reportedly moving through the northern suburbs. In Goma itself, there is no command left aside from the police and soldiers.
Previously, in January, the rebels took control of Minova, a key city on one of Goma's main supply routes, as well as Sake, which was the main defensive position of the DRC army. On Friday, they shot the military governor of North Kivu, and on Saturday, they gave government troops in Goma 48 hours to surrender.
#DRCongo: apocalyptic scenes in #Goma as hundreds of thousands of people are forced to flee, desperate to escape from the advancing #M23 and Rwandan forces.
— Thomas van Linge (@ThomasVLinge) January 26, 2025
Many of the people have been on the run for over 30 years at this point. pic.twitter.com/rYX1jhGXjZ
Video: thousands of people leave Goma due to M23 rebels
At yesterday's UN Security Council meeting, the head of the UN peacekeeping mission, Bintu Keita, stated that the militants are advancing amid the constant movement of civilians, who are being used as human shields. "The roads are blocked, M23 has declared the airspace closed, we are trapped," she noted.
The Rwandan ambassador to the UN stated that the current escalation could have been prevented if the DRC government had "demonstrated a genuine commitment to peace." He called for finding ways to return to diplomatic processes involving other African nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the M23 offensive "with the support of Rwandan defense forces" and demanded that the rebels immediately cease hostilities and withdraw their troops.
Photo: armed individuals in Goma - the capital of North Kivu province (Getty Images)
Today by 03:00, over a hundred Congolese soldiers surrendered their weapons to Uruguayan troops of the peacekeeping mission. In the morning, mission personnel and their families were evacuated to Rwanda, where 10 buses were waiting for them.
Just minutes before the ultimatum expired, M23 leader Cornel Nangu announced the capture of Goma. The government has yet to confirm the loss of the city. Today, the UN Security Council will hold another emergency meeting. Reports also indicate that 13 peacekeepers from South Africa and Uruguay have been killed in clashes with the rebels.
Right now, mutual shelling continues between the DRC and Rwandan forces across the common border near Goma.
Who are the M23 rebels and a brief history of the conflict
The eastern border regions of the DRC remain a hotspot of tension following two consecutive regional wars that resulted from the genocide of the Tutsi people in Rwanda.
"March 23 Movement" is one of approximately a hundred armed groups vying for control over North Kivu. It is predominantly composed of Tutsi members and claims to operate for the protection of this ethnic group.
The movement first formed near the Rwandan border in 2012. Its core consisted of about 300 Tutsi soldiers who defected from the DRC government army. The rebels explained their struggle by stating that the Congolese authorities had failed to implement the March 23, 2009 agreement and oppressed those who spoke Kinyarwanda - the official language of Rwanda.
M23 leaders claimed to seek to protect Congolese Tutsis from armed Hutu groups, including those responsible for the 1994 Rwandan genocide, who then fled to the neighboring country. However, there is an opinion that M23 is also a satellite of DRC's neighbors, created to seize resource-rich territories. According to a UN report from 2012, Rwanda and Uganda supplied the rebels and even sent their armies to assist in capturing cities.
Photo: Rwandan President Paul Kagame is of Tutsi descent and despite the obvious facts denies supporting the M23 rebels (wikimedia.org)
In the fall of 2012, the M23 movement captured Goma for 10 days. However, it suffered a series of defeats from the government army, UN peacekeepers, and the Intervention Brigade of the UN made up of soldiers from Tanzania, Malawi, and South Africa. A year later, about 1,500 rebels surrendered to Ugandan authorities, and since then the group has been largely inactive for 8 years.
In June 2021, DRC President Félix Tshisekedi granted a Rwandan company the right to mine gold in his country. The deal caused irritation among Ugandan authorities, and their soldiers, with Tshisekedi's permission, entered North Kivu under the pretext of pursuing Islamist militants from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). They were also allowed to ensure the security of roads in the eastern part of the country, which outraged Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who, by the way, is also a representative of the Tutsi people.
This period also marks the resurgence of M23. In November 2021, the rebels occupied two settlements in North Kivu, and by March 2022, they had taken most of the Rutshuru territory along the border with Uganda and Rwanda. The rivalry between these countries for control over resources was considered the key driver of the crisis. The DRC possesses the world's largest reserves of cobalt, germanium, and tantalum, as well as significant deposits of coal, iron, copper, zinc, lithium, gold, diamonds, and oil.
In February 2022, Kagame delivered an angry 50-minute speech in which he spoke about the threat to national security. He pointed to possible links between Islamists and remnants of Rwandan Hutu war criminals, and suggested the deployment of his troops without Tshisekedi's approval.
Kagame denied that Rwanda armed the M23 group. The rebels themselves claim to have found weapons in mines that were left behind during their retreat in 2013. The Rwandan leader emphasizes that all M23 members are Congolese citizens, and the reason for their uprising lies in the internal problems of the DRC.
Kagame and Tshisekedi agreed on de-escalating relations between their countries at a summit in Angola in July 2022. According to a statement from the Congolese president's office, the roadmap called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the immediate withdrawal of rebels from positions held by the DRC army. However, the M23 movement stated that it does not consider itself obliged to comply with the roadmap.
The current escalation is likely a continuation of the struggle for resources. According to UN experts, Rwanda has sent up to 4,000 troops and provided significant firepower, including rockets and snipers, to support the rebels