Headline Roundup • January 29th, 2025
Rebels Take Control of Major City in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Summary from the AllSides News Team
On Monday, the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels entered Goma, the capital of North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). As of Tuesday, the airport and much of the city was under M23’s control.
The Details: Over a dozen peacekeepers working for MONUSCO, the U.N. peacekeeping mission to the Congo, were killed, along with government soldiers, allied militia fighters, and civilians. U.N. personnel remaining in the city have been instructed to shelter in their bases while rebel forces rampage through the streets. Tuesday, police in DRC fired tear gas at protesters in the capital, Kinshasa, after embassies were attacked over the conflict in the country's east.
Rwanda: U.N. and DRC officials both confirmed Rwandan troops entered Goma along with the M23 insurgents Monday. International observers also accused Rwanda of arming and training the rebels. Captured M23 rebels have said they were trained by Rwandan special forces officers.
For Context: Over half a million people have reportedly been displaced by the battle raging between DRC security forces and M23 insurgents for control of Goma.
Featured Coverage of this Story
[Brian Inganga/AP
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have tightened their grip on Goma, the biggest city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), signalling a major blow to the Congolese army and a serious escalation in a years-long conflict that has seen hundreds of people killed and millions displaced.
March 23 Movement (M23) fighters entered Goma on Sunday and claimed to have taken control of the city a day later. Three days of clashes between Congolese armed forces and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have killed more than 100 people and wounded nearly 1,000 people in Goma.
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Over half a million people have reportedly been displaced by the battle raging between Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) security forces and M23 insurgents for control of Goma, a strategic city in the eastern Congo.
DRC Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wager said the “humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate” after M23 rebels launched a major offensive at the beginning of January.
On Monday, the rebels entered Goma, the capital of North Kivu province. Over a dozen peacekeepers working for MONUSCO, the U.N. peacekeeping mission to the Congo, were killed, along with government soldiers, allied...
=Police in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) fired tear gas at protesters in the capital, Kinshasa, on Tuesday, after embassies were attacked over the conflict in the country's east . The demonstrators targeted embassies of countries they accuse of complicity in Rwanda's support of M23 rebels, who have seized the eastern provincial capital, Goma. A European diplomat told Reuters that the embassies of France, the United States, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya were targeted by the protesters. French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on a post.
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