Members of the M23 rebel group gather at their position amid conflict between them and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, January 29, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Rwanda-backed rebels captured large parts of Goma, the biggest city in eastern Congo, including its airport, the United Nations said, as Rwanda’s President on Wednesday (January 29, 2025) joined calls for a ceasefire in the decades-long conflict amid mounting international pressure.

Much of Goma was calm after a day during which thousands of fleeing people hunkered down by roadsides as missiles flew overhead, and injured people streamed to overwhelmed hospitals.

While government forces still control pockets of Goma, residents who spoke to The Associated Press by phone on Tuesday (January 28, 2025) said that the M23 rebel group was in control of much of the city.

The M23 rebels, who said that they captured the city on Monday (January 27, 2025) after a weekslong advance, are one of about 100 armed groups vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo. The conflict escalated with the rebels’ advance into Goma, which left bodies on the streets and drove hundreds of thousands of already displaced people to flee once again.

After clashing with government forces, the rebels took control of the airport, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a briefing on Tuesday (January 28, 2025), warning of “risks of a breakdown of law and order in the city given the proliferation of weapons.”

Rwandan President Paul Kagame said on X that he spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on “the need to ensure a ceasefire and address the root causes of the conflict once and for all.”

His government denies supporting M23, despite reports from U.N. experts who estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo. Rwanda has accused Congo of enlisting Hutu rebels and former militiamen whom it blames for the 1994 genocide.

“The East African Community, whose members include both Rwanda and Congo, are scheduled to discuss the conflict at a meeting on Wednesday (January 29, 2025). Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi won’t be able to participate in the virtual summit,” a spokesperson said, without providing further details.

Pope Francis called for the cessation of hostilities and the protection of civilians.

“We hope that all forms of violence against people and their property will cease as soon as possible (and) I invite local authorities and the international community to make every effort to resolve the conflict by peaceful means,” Francis said at his weekly general audience.

M23, made up primarily of ethnic Tutsis, has told the AP that it plans to set up an administration in the city so people can continue living normal lives and displaced people can return home.

Analysts have warned that securing a rebel withdrawal could be more difficult than in 2012 when M23 first captured Goma but withdrew after days. Murithi Mutiga, program director for Africa at the Crisis Group, said that the group has become more emboldened by Rwanda, which feels Congo is ignoring its interests in the region and which has accused Congo of failing to meet demands of previous peace agreements.

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.