Goma, Jan 27: The March 23 Movement (M23), a rebel group fighting against the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) army, said on Monday that it has taken control of Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province and the largest city in eastern DRC.
In a statement released early on Monday, the M23 announced the "liberation of the city has been completed" and that "the situation is under control" following a 48-hour ultimatum issued to Congolese troops. On Saturday, the group demanded the surrender of the DRC armed forces and their allies. The M23 held Goma for 10 days in 2012 before retreating under international pressure.
By Sunday night, the rebels ordered government forces to disarm. According to local sources, several Congolese soldiers reportedly handed over their weapons to UN peacekeepers stationed in Goma.
The DRC government has not yet commented on the situation in Goma but announced that a high-level security meeting was held Sunday night, chaired by President Felix Tshisekedi.
At least 10 people were killed and about 4,400 inmates escaped from Munzenze Prison in Goma amid the ongoing conflict, according to local media reports. Radio Okapi, a UN-supported outlet, reported that prisoners set part of the facility on fire during clashes between the DRC army and M23 rebels.
Gunfire has been heard across Goma since Sunday evening, and fighting intensified Monday morning in various parts of the city, including areas near the Rwandan border.
UN sources said that the border with Rwanda was closed Monday morning, and panic has gripped Goma residents fleeing to Gisenyi, a Rwandan border city.
During a Sunday press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York, DRC Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner described the M23's actions as "an onslaught on Goma."
The humanitarian crisis in eastern DRC continues to worsen. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said Friday that more than 400,000 people have been displaced since January 2025. According to its statement, persistent clashes between belligerents in these areas continue to worsen the protection environment for civilians in South Kivu and North Kivu provinces, which are already home to 4.6 million internally displaced individuals, Xinhua news agency reported.
On Saturday, the DRC government announced the recall of its diplomats from Rwanda amid the M23's advances, further escalating tensions between the two nations.
In a letter to the Rwandan Embassy in Kinshasa, the capital of DRC, the DRC Foreign Ministry asked Rwanda's diplomats to cease all consular activities within 48 hours.
The DRC has accused Rwanda of backing the M23 rebels, a charge Kigali denies. Rwanda has accused the DRC army of supporting remnants of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a group allegedly responsible for the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.
In a statement released Sunday, the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticised various parties' "misguided and manipulative statements," saying that such statements fail to address the root causes of the crisis. Rwanda also denied any involvement in the resurgence of M23, describing the group as a Congolese armed group advocating for the rights of ethnic Tutsis in the DRC.
The statement blamed the prolonged conflict on the DRC's failure to engage in dialogue with M23 and the breakdown of the Luanda peace process initiated in 2022. Rwanda called for renewed efforts in both the Luanda and Nairobi peace initiatives to stabilise the region.
Kenyan President William Ruto, who rotates as the chairman of the East African Community (EAC), called for an immediate ceasefire in eastern DRC and warned of the deteriorating humanitarian and security situation.
"The escalating conflict and deteriorating situation in eastern DRC are of grave concern to the people and governments of East Africa," Ruto said in a statement issued from Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, Sunday. "I call for the immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities."
Ruto also announced an emergency summit within 48 hours to address the escalating crisis in the DRC and chart a way forward. He said the crisis summit aligns with the November 2024 decision of the EAC Summit, which called for constructive engagement to address the conflict. He expressed the EAC's readiness to collaborate with the African Union, the Southern African Development Community and international partners in encouraging the warring parties to prioritise dialogue.
As tensions remain high, several foreign embassies have issued advisories urging their citizens to leave North Kivu. The United Nations announced Saturday that it has temporarily relocated non-essential staff from Goma, where fear and uncertainty have gripped the population.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed deep concern over the escalating violence in eastern DRC, calling for an immediate ceasefire.
