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Uruguayan soldiers of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) travel on their pick-up trucks in Goma, on 25 January 2025. Three South African soldiers were killed and 18 injured in clashes with M23 forces in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where they were part of a southern African mission, a political party and a military union said Saturday. (Photo by Jospin Mwisha / AFP) (Photo by JOSPIN MWISHA/AFP via Getty Images)

Uruguayan soldiers of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) travel on their pick-up trucks in Goma, on 25 January 2025. Three South African soldiers were killed and 18 injured in clashes with M23 forces in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where they were part of a southern African mission, a political party and a military union said Saturday. (Photo by Jospin Mwisha / AFP) (Photo by JOSPIN MWISHA/AFP via Getty Images)

Rebel Conflict in Congo Escalates with Capture of Goma

At least 13 peacekeepers and foreign soldiers are dead in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after fierce fighting with M23 rebels around the city of Goma. As of 26 January, the defenses around the city of more than 2 million people collapsed. This morning, M23 fighters say they have the city under rebel control, NPR reported.

The fighting resulted in damage to many electricity lines, cutting power in the city. Roads are blocked, and the airport cannot be used for evacuation or humanitarian efforts, according to the BBC. The airport was previously an essential thoroughfare for humanitarian and security assistance to get to the region. Residents in Goma greeted the rebels with a sense of trepidation and a need for self-preservation, Reuters reported.

M23 has expanded its territory by 11 percent in the past week, UN Security Council representatives said, and the number of internally displaced people has doubled to 400,000. 

Congolese forces supported by UN peacekeepers, European private military companies, and pro-government local militias struggled to fend off the M23 rebels, who appear to be supported by Rwanda. The conflict is one of the most significant escalations between the two countries in years.

DRC Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner said that more Rwandan troops have crossed the border, coming directly into Goma. She added that this amounted to “a declaration of war” from Rwanda, The New York Times reported.

The UN Security Council demanded yesterday that M23 forces stop their offense toward Goma. The council also urged Rwanda and the DRC to return to peace talks. Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, stressed that if hostilities spread into Goma, “the impact on civilians could be devastating.”

The roots of the conflict can be traced back to the 1994 genocide of nearly 1 million ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda. M23 was formed to allegedly protect the Tutsi population in the DRC from persecution and discrimination. The conflict also has financial motives—for more than a year, M23 has controlled the coltan-mining region of Rubaya in Congo, generating an estimated $800,000 per month through a production tax, Reuters reported. The group’s spread can give it access to more mining revenue. Coltan is a valuable metallic ore used in the production of smartphones and other electronics.

Analysts warned that the incursion in Goma could further destabilize the region, which already has one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. More than 6 million people are displaced there, the Associated Press reported.

According to the Times, “The conflict in eastern Congo—an area about the size of Michigan—was once labeled Africa’s World War. It has been going on since the 1990s, and has involved dozens of armed groups, of which M23 is currently dominant.”

 

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