Rebels, backed by Rwanda, launched a new attack toward the key city of Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, promising their advance would stop only at the national capital of Kinshasa. The M23 fighters in North Kivu province surged dramatically this week, with a claim to having taken control over Goma City and beginning moves southward in the direction of Bukavu.
Rebel leader Corneille Nangaa declared, “We will continue the march of liberation all the way to Kinshasa,” some days after seizing the city of Goma, where violent fighting had already killed numerous people, among them surrendered Congolese soldiers being picked up.
A UN spokesman said at least 700 people have died since Sunday in violent clashes in Goma, adding that the toll is likely to increase. The World Health Organization reported 2,800 people have been injured by the ongoing violence.
M23 rebels are reportedly moving to take control of the strategic military airport in Kavumu, about 40 kilometers north of Bukavu. A UN spokesperson expressed concern over credible reports indicating M23’s rapid advance toward Bukavu, which puts two million civilian populations at risk.
The M23 group is one of over 100 armed factions in eastern DRC and is believed to be supported by about 4,000 Rwandan soldiers. Rwanda says it aims to root out fighters implicated in the 1994 genocide, accusing the Congolese military of collaborating with Hutu-led militias threatening national security.
While M23 had shown their appetite for discussions, Congolese Defense Minister Guy Kabombo Muadiamvita categorically blocked their intentions. Confronted with the escalation, the Southern African Development Community decided on a short-notice summit in Harare.
This month-long ongoing assault has been fuelling an unmanageable humanitarian crisis where large food and water shortages dislocate over half a million, so says the International Organization for Migration.
