The M23 rebel group, reportedly backed by Rwanda, claims it has taken control of Goma in eastern DRC, escalating tensions in a region historically fraught with warfare. Residents reported gunfire and a visible rebel presence within the city. This rapid advance has led to thousands evacuating their homes, prompting the UN to express alarm. DRC's foreign minister accuses Rwanda of blatant aggression, while Monusco has begun evacuating its staff, further highlighting the volatility of the situation in the wake of historical conflict dating back to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
"The liberation of the city has been successfully carried out, and the situation is under control," the M23 spokesperson, Lawrence Kanyuka, said on X.
The eastern borderlands of DRC are a tinderbox of rebel and militia fiefdoms stemming from two regional wars after Rwanda's 1994 genocide.
M23 is the latest in a long line of Tutsi-led rebel movements.
Rwanda was committing a frontal aggression, a declaration of war which no longer hides itself behind diplomatic manoeuvres.
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