The Rwanda-backed armed group M23 vowed Thursday to "continue the march of liberation" to the DR Congo capital Kinshasa, as its fighters made further advances in the mineral-rich east of the country.
STORY: President Paul Kagame said that Rwanda was ready to, quote, "deal with" any possible "confrontation" with South Africa, should it arise over the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
What has been a slow-burn crisis in eastern DRC has again exploded into the open. Kagame appears to have calculated that a change of US administration is a good time to strike. A peace process mediated by Angola and sponsored by the US collapsed in the dying days of Joe Biden’s administration.
M23 rebels, with support from Rwandan troops, marched into Goma earlier this week and are now advancing south toward Bukavu.
As an East African bloc urged an immediate ceasefire in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwandan-backed M23 rebels who seized the city of Goma extended their advance on Wednesday, and Congo said it planned a campaign to recover lost territory.
Rwanda and South Africa hope to host an African grand prix for the first time since 1993, but several expensive obstacles stand in their way.
The international community is talking tough on Rwanda’s involvement on the M23 rebellion in eastern DRC. But analysts say due to Kigali’s role in peacekeeping missions across Africa and as a key ally for Western powers,
Congo’s leader has called on young people to enlist in the army to help fight Rwanda-backed rebels attempting to seize more territory in the country’s conflict-battered east
"The high commission staff is in contact with every individual who has asked for assistance and help," FO says, adds more likely to cross over in coming days.
Local sources said Kigali-backed fighters were advancing on a new front and had seized two districts in South Kivu province, after the rebel group’s capture of most of Goma, the capital of North Kivu.
Diplomatic sources say the bloc is facing calls to suspend its wide-ranging minerals agreement with Rwanda amid fears it is inflaming the escalating conflict in eastern DRC. #EuroVerify