Displaying items by tag: M23 Rebels

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has begun withdrawing its peacekeeping force from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through Rwanda. The troops, from South Africa, Malawi, and Tanzania are exiting Goma in North Kivu and heading to Tanzania for repatriation, with all personnel expected to leave by 30 May. The withdrawal follows heavy casualties, including at least seventeen soldiers killed during clashes with M23 rebels, who have since taken Goma and Bukavu. Rwanda, accused by the UN and the DRC of backing M23, denies any involvement, though the rebels reportedly receive support from 4,000 Rwandan troops. The DRC government has called for a nationwide military mobilisation as the rebels threaten to march on Kinshasa, over a thousand miles away. The SADC mission, deployed in 2023, aimed to stabilise the mineral-rich region but struggled amid the worsening crisis. With over seven million displaced, eastern Congo is one of the world's most severe humanitarian emergencies.

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has withdrawn troops from the eastern military base of Rumangabo, ceding ground in the battle against the M23 rebel group. M23 resumed fighting and accused the DRC government of failing to honour an agreement to integrate its fighters into the army. The fresh clashes saw the rebel group make advances across North Kivu province. The loss of the key military base is a setback for DRC and a further blow to the security outlook in the conflict-hit east. Thousands remain displaced from the region. Kiwanja’s fall is another humiliation for the government in Kinshasa. It raises serious questions, once again, as to how an extremely small rebellion can do this on their own. UN experts found solid evidence Rwanda had been providing military aid to M23 in eastern DRC. Rwanda’s government has disputed the findings.