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In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), located in the center of the African continent, rebels supported by neighboring Rwanda have captured the border city of Goma, Bloomberg reports.
Fighters from the M23 rebel movement, which fights for the political and economic interests of the Tutsi people, stormed the city on Monday and seized most of it. Government forces later regained control of some areas of the city.
The nominal population of Goma is about 700 people, but including refugees, according to some estimates, up to 2 million people may actually live in the city and its surroundings.
According to the UN, fighting between rebels and government forces damaged a local maternity hospital, killing women and children.
Fighting for the city continued on Tuesday. Witnesses said militants were shelling areas of Goma with rocket-propelled grenades and mortars, forcing civilians and UN staff to take cover.
The capture of Goma is part of a long-running conflict in eastern Congo that began in the mid-1990s after the Rwandan genocide. Several African countries, including Uganda, Burundi, South Africa, Tanzania and Malawi, have already been involved in efforts to stabilize the situation.
Although Rwanda has long denied actively supporting the M23 rebel movement, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told reporters on Monday that Rwandan troops were present in Goma, with an estimated 3 to 4 Rwandan soldiers, potentially threatening a civil war between Congo and Rwanda.
Who are the rebels from the M23 movement?
The M23 (March 23 Movement) is an armed group operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, mainly in the North Kivu province with its capital in Goma. The name "M23" comes from a peace agreement signed on 23 March 2009 between the DRC government and Tutsi rebels, which the M23 says the government has violated.
The group is made up mainly of Tutsi fighters. Some reports suggest that M23 received support from neighboring Rwanda and Uganda, which both countries have denied.
M23 fighters claimed that they took up arms because of injustice and corruption in the Congolese government, as well as discrimination against ethnic Tutsis.
In 2012–2013, M23 launched a series of offensives in North Kivu, including the capture of the city of Goma in November 2012. M23 suffered significant defeats after an offensive by DRC armed forces, which operated with the support of a UN peacekeeping mission and a UN intervention brigade. In November 2013, M23 announced the cessation of its activities following the defeat, but in 2021–2023, M23 became more active again, carrying out attacks in eastern Congo.
The group has been accused of numerous human rights abuses, including mass killings, rape, forced labor, and child recruitment. The group's increased activity has caused a humanitarian crisis, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.
The United Nations and the African Union have repeatedly called for an end to the conflict and a negotiated solution to the situation.
