M23 is an armed rebel group, supported by the Rwandan army, which has claimed control of the capital of North Kivu province.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is plunged into chaos. Fighters from the March 23 Movement (M23), the armed rebel group backed by the Rwandan army, have claimed control of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province. The militiamen's raid led to a mass breakout from the city's prison. Several people were killed and the entire facility was burned. Numerous artillery shells were also reported.
The U.N. special representative for Congo told an emergency Security Council meeting on Sunday night that with the airport closed and roads blocked in the region’s vast humanitarian and security hub, they were “trapped.” Congo cut ties with Rwanda on Saturday, which has denied supporting the M23 despite evidence gathered by U.N. experts and others.
The wave of violence has killed at least 13 peacekeepers in the past week. Congolese are once again on the run. The United Nations Security Council condemned the M23 advances in a statement released Sunday evening, urging the rebels to withdraw from captured territory. The M23 has made significant territorial gains along Congo's border with Rwanda in recent weeks.
The Uruguayan army, present in Goma with the UN peacekeeping mission, said on X that some Congolese soldiers had laid down their weapons. Congo's Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner told the Security Council that Rwanda was committing "a frontal aggression, a declaration of war that is no longer hidden behind diplomatic maneuvers." Rwandan Ambassador Ernest Rwamucyo neither confirmed nor denied the allegations and blamed the Congolese government, saying the crisis could have been avoided if it had "demonstrated a genuine commitment to peace."
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