Rwanda-backed M23 rebels claim to have captured Goma in DRC
The M23 rebels, who have been gaining ground this month in Congo’s mineral-rich eastern borderlands, said on Sunday they have conquered Goma, the biggest city in North Kivu province. In a statement, the group urged residents to remain calm and for members of the Congolese military to assemble at the central stadium.
“The liberation of the city has been successfully carried out, and the situation is under control”, the armed group said in a statement released on Sunday. The rebels had earlier ordered government forces to disarm as they were preparing to enter the city. Various news outlets report that members of the country’s military had begun to surrender on the outskirts of the city and that fighting was heard throughout the night.
The Rwanda-backed militants have been advancing towards the provincial capital - home to more than one million people - for weeks. The quickly escalating violence prompted many countries, including Belgium and France, to urge their citizens to leave Goma. In an emergency meeting late Sunday, the UN Security Council condemned M23’s advances and urged the group to withdraw from the territory they had claimed.
Congo’s foreign minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, told the Security Council that Rwanda was committing “a frontal aggression, a declaration of war which no longer hides itself behind diplomatic manoeuvres.” Rwanda, however, denies supporting the rebel group and instead accuses the Congolese government of failing to engage in real peace efforts.
Tensions
The conflict has further strained already tense relations between the DRC and Rwanda. Kinshasa announced on Sunday it would cut diplomatic ties with Kigali in response to the latest offensive. President Félix Tshisekedi accused Rwanda of seeking to destabilise eastern Congo to exploit its vast mineral wealth, a claim Rwanda has repeatedly denied.
The Congolese government declared a state of emergency in North Kivu province and vowed to retake control of Goma. Meanwhile, thousands of residents continue to flee the city, adding to the more than 400,000 people already displaced since the fighting reignited earlier this year.
The United Nations has warned that the conflict risks escalating into a broader regional war, with secretary-general Antonio Guterres calling for an immediate ceasefire and dialogue between the two nations.
The M23 rebellion, primarily composed of ethnic Tutsi fighters, previously seized Goma in 2012 before withdrawing under international pressure. The group re-emerged in 2021.
A woman carries a mattress and other belongings as she flees from Kibati, near Goma © Jospin Mwisha / AFP