Rebels of the March 23 Movement backed by Rwanda have seized control of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. President Felix Tshisekedi called for general mobilisation to counter what he called “barbaric aggression.”
The rebels took the airport, border crossings with Rwanda, and the Lake Kivu port on Sunday, before taking two more localities into the south. The fighting has killed more than 100 people and wounded nearly 1,000, overwhelming local hospitals.
Felix Tshisekedi ordered young Congolese to join the armed forces, known as FARDC, and cuts to government spending to fund military operations. Tshisekedi honoured fallen military governor Peter Cirimwami and spoke against the attacks on foreign embassies in Kinshasa.
Violent Protests Target Foreign Embassies in Capital
Protesters in Kinshasa attacked embassies of France, Belgium, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and the United States, setting fires and fighting with police. The crowds said these countries failed to act against or helped Rwanda’s support for M23. Air France later suspended flights to Kinshasa.
Rwanda’s regional ambassador Vincent Karega suggested M23 planned to move beyond Goma into South Kivu province. Rwanda claims FARDC and its allies, including the FDLR militia linked to the 1994 genocide, broke the ceasefire first. FDLR is short for Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda.
Attempts at peace talks failed as news of potential escalation broke. Felix Tshisekedi missed a video meeting with Paul Kagame that had been scheduled for Wednesday, showing how far apart the two sides remain.Â
Foreign Fighters Surrender as Battle Lines Shift
The presence of foreign fighters signals a new phase in the conflict’s escalation. Romanian fighters working with FARDC surrendered to M23 and went through Rwanda to Kigali International Airport.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame have clashed over South African troops in the region. Cyril Ramaphosa blamed M23 and Rwandan forces for killing South African peacekeepers. Paul Kagame said the South African mission had become a “fighting force.”
History of Cross-Border Conflict
As aid groups report people fleeing Goma face food shortages and disease outbreaks, the fighting has now pulled in armies from across central Africa, much like the devastating regional wars of previous decades.
Rwanda has intervened in DRC multiple times, saying it needed to stop enemy militants. The DRC government, however, maintains that Rwanda uses armed groups as proxies to exploit the region’s valuable mineral resources.
Pre-colonial Tutsi minority rule and colonial German and Belgian manipulation of Rwanda’s ethnic hierarchies fueled the 1994 genocide. After the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front, under Paul Kagame, ended the genocide, Mobutu Sese Seko sheltered fleeing Hutu militants in Congo, who would later join the FDLR.
Rwanda’s pursuit of these militants sparked two wars—the first overthrew Mobutu’s 32-year regime, and the second ignited a broader regional conflict that killed millions.Â
Today, the FDLR and M23 rebels perpetuate the strife, as Rwanda and Congo trade accusations of supporting each other’s enemy militias.
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