PREVIEW
Fears of a regional war rise as Rwandan-backed M23 militia captures Congolese city amid international condemnation
Kenya’s President William Ruto has telephoned Presidents Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame to invite then to an emergency summit in Nairobi on 29 January as M23 militia fighters, backed by troops and artillery from neighbouring Rwanda, seize control of Goma, the capital of the mineral-rich Kivu-Nord province in eastern Congo-Kinshasa.
Following weeks of the M23’s steady territorial gains in the Masisi region surrounding Goma, along with the increasing control over coltan and tantalum mines, the deployment of about 4,000 Rwandan troops across the border, as reported by the UN marks the most brazen move by Kagame. He has continuously denied supporting the M23 militia despite multiple reports from the UN and western intelligence agencies and aerial photographs showing collusion between M23 and Rwandan forces (Dispatches 7/1/25, Fears for Goma grow as M23 continues gains in North Kivu).
Regional officials say that M23’s push to seize Goma was deliberately made ahead of a United Nations Security Council meeting on 27 January. Gunfire was reported on the streets of Goma and the city’s international airport was evacuated over the weekend.
The response will be a major test of the international the UN Security Council, which will be under pressure to impose harsh sanctions on Kigali.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres was ‘deeply concerned by the escalating violence’ said a UN spokesman, and ‘reiterates his strongest condemnation of the M23 armed group’s ongoing offensive… with the support of the Rwanda Defence Forces.’
The fighting risks causing a major humanitarian crisis with a large-scale evacuation effort already under way. Aid agencies have been warning for weeks that M23’s recent gains had effectively cut off supply routes to Goma.
Meanwhile, UN officials reported that camps around the city accommodating 300,000 people quickly emptied. Goma’s population numbers over one million.
On 26 January, 13 soldiers from South Africa, Malawi and Uruguay, who were part of the Southern African Development Community and UN forces deployed to assist the Congolese army, were reported to have been killed.
Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan became the latest international leader to offer his services as a mediator following the collapse of the latest peace talks brokered by Angola in December (Dispatches 17/12/24, Dispute on M23’s status derails latest peace talks). However, as a major investor in Rwanda, Turkey is unlikely to be viewed in Kinshasa as a neutral player.
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