The UN Security Council will convene an emergency meeting on Sunday to address the escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo following the withdrawal of DRC diplomats from Rwanda. M23 rebels, backed by Rwanda, are advancing towards the strategic city of Goma, resulting in the deaths of 13 peacekeepers from South Africa, Malawi, and Uruguay.
The UN Security Council will convene an emergency meeting on Sunday to address the escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after Kinshasa withdrew its diplomats from Kigali. The crisis stems from the advance of M23 rebels, backed by Rwanda , towards the strategic city of Goma . The resource-rich North and South Kivu provinces have been embroiled in conflict for decades, with the M23 emerging as a formidable armed group.
Since 2021, they have seized vast territories in eastern DRC, displacing thousands and exacerbating a dire humanitarian situation. The cancellation of peace talks between Rwandan President Paul Kagame and DRC's Etienne Tshisekedi in mid-December has further fueled tensions, leading to the rebels' steady march toward Goma, a city home to over a million inhabitants.The intensification of fighting resulted in the deaths of 13 peacekeepers from South Africa, Malawi, and Uruguay. This tragic development prompted the UN Security Council to advance its planned emergency meeting from Monday to Sunday. Congolese army spokesman General Sylvain Ekenge assured the public that the country's armed forces were actively engaged in pushing back the enemy. The DRC also announced the withdrawal of its diplomats from Kigali in a letter addressed to Rwanda's embassy. International condemnation of Rwanda's alleged support for the M23 poured in. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called for Rwanda to cease its backing and withdraw its forces, unequivocally condemning its military presence in DRC as a violation of international law. The African Union and French President Emmanuel Macron, following separate phone calls with both President Kagame and President Tshisekedi, also urged an immediate ceasefire. A Reuters reporter witnessed a charred, smoke-billowing armored vehicle belonging to the UN peacekeeping force, MONUSCO, on the road between Goma and Sake, an area that has seen fierce fighting in recent days. South Africa's defence ministry confirmed the deaths of nine South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members by Friday, including seven serving in the regional force dispatched by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and two UN peacekeepers. Malawi's army spokesman reported the deaths of three Malawian soldiers serving with the SADC force, while Uruguay's military announced the death of one of its members serving with the UN peacekeepers and injuries to four others. The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) stated that its Quick Reaction Forces were actively engaged in intense combat, utilizing heavy artillery against M23 positions. Since January, an estimated 400,000 people have fled the fighting, according to the UN. The UN has initiated the evacuation of non-essential staff from Goma to neighboring Uganda and the Congolese capital, Kinshasa. Britain, the United States, and France have already advised their citizens to leave the country, with Germany following suit on Saturday. Angolan President Joao Lourenco, the African Union's mediator between Rwanda and the DRC, denounced the 'irresponsible actions of the M23 and its supporters,' warning of 'harmful consequences for regional security.'The conflict between the M23, supported by an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 Rwandan soldiers, and the Congolese army has persisted for over three years, aggravating the chronic humanitarian crisis in the region. In December, a planned meeting between Tshisekedi and Kagame, part of an Angola-led peace process, was canceled due to a lack of consensus. Negotiations reached a stalemate over Rwanda's insistence that the DRC engage in direct dialogue with the largely ethnic Tutsi M23 rebels, a demand rejected by Kinshasa, according to officials present at the December summit. On Saturday, Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo stated on social media platform X that 'dialogue between the DRC government and the rebels from an aggrieved Congolese community that has been victim of systematic persecution is the only way to resolve this conflict.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO RWANDA M23 REBELS UN PEACEKEEPERS INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT HUMANITARIAN CRISIS EASTERN DRC GOMA
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