Internally displaced civilians from the camps in Munigi and Kibati, carry their belongings as they flee following the fight between M23 rebels and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, January 26, 2025
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Rwandan-backed rebels captured the city of Goma in eastern Congo early Monday (January 27, 2025), according to a press release by the M23 rebel movement.
The city’s capture came following a 48-hour deadline imposed by the group for the Congolese army to surrender their weapons.
In the statement, the rebels urged residents of Goma to remain calm. There was no immediate comment from Congo’s government.
The rebels entered the outskirts of eastern Congo’s largest city, Goma, on Sunday (January 26, 2025), causing what the United Nations called “mass panic” among its 2 million people and leading Congo’s government to call it a “declaration of war.”
With the airport shut down and roads blocked in the vast region’s humanitarian and security hub, “we are trapped,” the U.N.‘s special representative for Congo told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
The M23 rebels’ offensive at the heart of the mineral-rich region threatens to dramatically worsen one of Africa’s longest wars and create further misery for what is already one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with millions of people displaced.
Congo, on late Saturday (January 25, 2025), broke off relations with Rwanda, which has denied backing the M23 despite evidence collected by U.N. experts and others. The surge of violence has killed at least 13 peacekeepers over the past week. And Congolese were again on the run.
The M23 has made significant territorial gains along Congo’s border with Rwanda in recent weeks, after months of regional attempts to make peace failed. On Sunday night, the rebels called on Congo’s army to surrender their arms and present themselves at a local stadium by 3 a.m. or they would take the city.
The Uruguayan army, who are in Goma serving with the U.N. peacekeeping mission, said in a statement on X late Sunday (January 26, 2025) that some Congolese soldiers have laid down their weapons.
“More than a hundred FARDC soldiers are sheltered in the facilities of the “Siempre Presente” base awaiting the (Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration) process,” the statement said.
In photos shared with the statement, armed men are seen registering with the peacekeepers in a mix of military uniforms and civilian clothing.
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 maneuvers.”
Rwanda’s ambassador to the U.N., Ernest Rwamucyo, did not confirm or deny Congo’s claims. He blamed Congo’s government, saying the crisis could have been been averted if it had “demonstrated a genuine commitment to peace.”
The United States and France called for a ceasefire and appealed to Rwanda to withdraw its support to M23, with acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea warning that the U.S. would “consider all the tools at its disposal” to hold accountable those responsible for sustaining the armed conflict.
Rwanda’s government denies backing the rebels, but last year acknowledged that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a buildup of Congolese forces near the border. U.N. experts estimate up to 4,000 Rwandan forces are in Congo.
Published – January 27, 2025 07:22 am IST
