“We are trapped.” That was the assessment the UN’s special representative for Congo gave an emergency Security Council meeting, with Goma’s airport shut and its roads blocked. Hours later, M23 rebels announced they had taken the city.
Goma is the largest city in eastern Congo and the capital of North Kivu. The Rwanda-backed group moved in on Sunday and met little resistance from the national army, according to reports on Monday, 27 January. A rebel statement called the takeover a coup d’etat. M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka wrote on X: “We urge all residents of Goma to remain calm. The liberation of the city has been successfully carried out, and the situation is under control.”
The picture on the ground was less tidy. It was not clear how much of Goma the rebels held. Witnesses saw fighters in the centre, and residents reported gunfire near the airport, the city centre and the Rwandan border. Corneille Nangaa, who leads the Congo River Alliance that includes M23, told Reuters his forces controlled the city and that soldiers were laying down arms. “They have started to surrender, but it takes time,” he said. Tryphon Kin-Kiey Mulumba, head of the Air Transport Authority, said the army still held the airport.
Surrenders, a prison break and a UN evacuation
The rebels had given government soldiers until 3am on Monday to surrender. Uruguay’s military, which serves with the UN mission Monusco, said 100 Congolese soldiers handed their weapons to its troops and were sheltering at the “Siempre Presente” base. Thousands of inmates broke out of Goma’s main prison early Monday. UN staff and their families left for Rwanda, where 10 buses waited for them.
Patrick Muyaya, the Congolese government spokesperson, confirmed that Rwandan troops were in Goma. He said on X that Congolese forces were trying to prevent “carnage and loss of human life” and told residents to stay home and avoid vandalism. Kinshasa has called the insurgency a “declaration of war.” Rwanda denies sending troops, though the Congolese government, UN officials and Western powers say it has.
Fire crossed the border too. Rwanda’s military spokesperson, Ronald Rwivanga, told Reuters that shelling from Congolese troops killed five people and wounded 26 in the Rwandan town of Rubavu. He accused them of “targeting civilians.” Two UN sources said the two armies had been trading fire across the frontier.
Residents and rights groups
Some people in Goma greeted the fighters, and a video showed residents chanting “Welcome, welcome our friends.” Four residents who spoke to Reuters anonymously said fear lay behind it. “The only thing we can do is show that we are happy,” one said.
Blaise Karege, a political and security researcher in eastern Congo, said M23 appeared to have a lot of support, though he could not say whether it came from love or fear. He did not expect the group to leave. Human Rights Watch said it was gravely worried about civilians. Researcher Clementine de Montjoye said M23 had executed people it accused of backing the Congolese army, and she cited reports of looting in Goma by the pro-government Wazalendo militia. The UN says fighting has displaced 400,000 people since the start of the year.
Diplomacy
The Security Council demanded that M23 halt its advance and that outside forces withdraw. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the rebels to stop fighting and leave occupied territory. France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, condemned Rwanda’s actions. Kenya’s president, William Ruto, said the presidents of Rwanda and Congo had agreed to attend a meeting on Wednesday.
M23 took Goma once before, for 10 days in late 2012.
Sources
- DRC conflict: M23 rebels enter Goma after claiming capture of city – as it happened
- Civilians at increased risk as M23 rebels capture DRC's Goma, rights advocates warn
