The group's capture of most of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, is a dramatic escalation in a region that has seen decades of conflict involving multiple armed groups.
Since neighboring Rwanda’s Tutsi genocide, eastern DR Congo has faced relentless war. Beyond security concerns, Kigali profits immensely from exploiting the region’s vast mineral wealth, fueling ongoing conflict and instability.
The conflict comes amid rising global tensions after Donald Trump’s election, especially between Washington and Beijing, over control of strategic minerals like those present in the Congo.
New governor appointed after former governor Maj. Gen. Peter Cirimwami was killed in fighting against M23 rebels - Anadolu Ajansı
Kigali’s support of former Democratic Republic of Congo president Joseph Kabila could complicate peace talks, while Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, is under siege by the M23.
Sixty-eight United Nations (UN) staff and their dependants were on Wednesday afternoon airlifted from Kigali International Airport by a UN aircraft and were believed to be headed to Entebbe in Uganda from where they would be flown to the Congolese capital Kinshasa.
As an East African bloc urged an immediate ceasefire in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwandan-backed M23 rebels who seized the city of Goma extended their advance on Wednesday, and Congo said it planned a campaign to recover lost territory.
Kinshasa recalls diplomats from Kigali as conflict escalates between government forces, M23 rebels - Anadolu Ajansı
M23 rebels said they have advanced into Goma, a large city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Hundreds of thousands of residents have been displaced.
Local sources said Kigali-backed fighters were advancing on a new front and had seized two districts in South Kivu province, after the rebel group’s capture of most of Goma, the capital of North Kivu.
According to reports, the Romanian government and the US intervened to ensure the safe
No fewer than 100 people have been killed in clashes between the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 fighters supported by Rwandan soldiers.