M23 rebels expand control in east Congo as Rwandan leader urges ceasefire
The rebels were advancing toward the centre of South Kivu province after capturing several of its towns.
Rebels backed by Rwanda captured more towns in eastern Congo on Wednesday, as fighters moved beyond the key city of Goma in an apparent attempt to expand their control in the conflict-battered region.
The rebels were advancing toward the centre of South Kivu province after capturing several of its towns, including Kalungu, Kanyezire and Mukwinja, according to a local civil society leader and an aid worker in the area who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The advance further raised fears of prolonged occupation by the rebels, who have said they plan to set up a new administration in Goma.
Unlike now, they only captured Goma during their first rebellion in 2012 but withdrew days later under international pressure on Rwanda.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame said on X that he spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on “the need to ensure a ceasefire and address the root causes of the conflict once and for all”.
Soldiers fighting for Congo – many of them mercenaries from other nations – were laying down their weapons at the border with Rwanda. Congo’s army seemed to be in disarray, and those at the border appeared disorganised and ill-equipped for fighting.
A rebel spokesman said nearly 300 mercenaries have surrendered their arms and returned to their countries.
“Let the people of Goma be calm, peace is here,” said Willy Ngoma, a spokesman of the M23 group. Mr Ngoma is on the UN Security Council’s sanctions list for crimes committed by the rebels.
“It’s like you are fighting without command,” said Jean Marie Ndahambaza, one of the surrendering soldiers.
Armed groups have long vied for control of eastern Congo, which is rich in minerals critical to much of the world’s technology, and has been the scene of proxy battles between Congo and neighbouring Rwanda, as well as other powers.
Fighting reignited this week, and the rebels backed by Rwanda, known as M23, announced on Monday that they had captured much of the provincial capital of Goma.
Hundreds of thousands of Goma residents were trying to get away from the fighting, with some retreating into Congo’s interior to seek protection, and others crossing into nearby Rwanda.
Rwandan border patrol agents thoroughly searched the belongings of the men, women and children crossing the border in waves, with suitcases and children in tow. The displaced people were then taken care of by the Rwandan Red Cross.
Meanwhile, rebels took control of Goma’s airport, said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, warning of risks of a breakdown of law and order in the city of two million people “given the proliferation of weapons”.
Clashes with rebels continued in some parts of the city on Wednesday afternoon, including at the centre of Goma in the neighbourhoods of Katoyi and Kahembe.
Other parts of the city were calm, with less fighting after a day during which thousands of fleeing people hunkered down by roadsides as missiles flew overhead, and injured people streamed to overwhelmed hospitals.
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi is expected to address the country later on Wednesday in his first public remarks since the incursion.
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.
Murithi Mutiga, programme director for Africa at the Crisis Group, said 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.
