The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, has vowed a “vigorous” military response against Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, who have advanced further into the country’s mineral-rich east after seizing most of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.
The capture of Goma marks a dramatic escalation in a decade-long conflict that has seen the M23, one of several armed groups in eastern DRC, take control of large areas. The region has been plagued by internal and cross-border violence for three decades, with roots tracing back to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
The renewed violence has sparked international alarm, prompting regional blocs in Eastern and Southern Africa to call emergency summits. The United Nations, United States, China, and European Union have all urged an immediate end to the fighting.
In his first public remarks since the crisis escalated, Tshisekedi, in a late-night address, declared that a “vigorous and coordinated response against these terrorists and their sponsors is under way.”
He criticised the “silence and inaction” of the international community, calling it an “affront” in the face of an “unprecedented worsening of the security situation” that could lead “straight to an escalation” across the broader Great Lakes region.
Local sources reported to AFP on Wednesday that M23 fighters, backed by Rwanda, had opened a new front and seized two districts in South Kivu province. However, the Congolese army has yet to officially comment on these developments.
Following days of intense clashes that, according to an AFP tally, left over 100 dead and nearly 1,000 wounded, some residents cautiously emerged on Thursday to assess the situation.
“We do not want to live under the thumb of these people,” a resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told AFP.
Despite lingering fears, people ventured into the streets of Goma. However, shortages of food and basic supplies have worsened.
“There is nothing left to eat, everything has been looted,” said a resident named Bosco. “We need help urgently.”
The UN has warned that the conflict has exacerbated an already dire humanitarian crisis, with food and water shortages and over half a million people displaced just this month.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot arrived in Kinshasa on Thursday and was scheduled to meet Tshisekedi, according to Congolese government and presidency sources.
Tshisekedi, however, refused to attend crisis talks with his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, on Wednesday.
This diplomatic standoff, along with the withdrawal of ambassadors by both the DRC and Rwanda, “does not bode well for a negotiated end to the conflict,” said ACLED Senior Africa Analyst Ladd Serwat.
The East African Community has called for peace, urging Kinshasa to “directly engage with all stakeholders, including the M23.”
In a late-night tweet, Kagame dismissed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s potential role as a mediator, warning that his country was “in no position to take on the role of a peacemaker or mediator.”
This comes as 13 South African soldiers, deployed as part of the UN peacekeeping force and the Southern African Development Community’s Mission in DRC have been killed in the past week.
Kagame insisted that SAMIDRC “is not a peacekeeping force, and it has no place in this situation.”
The 16-nation Southern African Development Community is set to hold a special summit on the crisis in Zimbabwe on Friday. Angola, which previously brokered a ceasefire between the DRC and M23, has called for urgent talks between Tshisekedi and Kagame in Luanda.
M23 fighters and Rwandan troops entered Goma on Sunday and, following clashes, seized control of the airport. AFP reporters confirmed that they were the only forces remaining in the city’s downtown area.
Earlier, a security source reported that hundreds of Congolese soldiers and pro-Kinshasa militiamen—unarmed and wearing white headbands—were marched through the city by M23 fighters.
The United Nations, United States, China, and European Union have all called on Rwanda to withdraw its forces from eastern Congo.
However, Rwanda’s Ambassador-at-Large for the Great Lakes region, Vincent Karega, told AFP that the M23 advance “will continue.” He suggested that the fighters could even push beyond the country’s east—potentially as far as Kinshasa.
The DRC is home to vast deposits of gold and other valuable minerals, including cobalt, coltan, tantalum, and tin—key components in batteries and electronics.
Kinshasa has accused Rwanda of backing the M23’s offensive to exploit the region’s resources. UN experts have supported these claims, stating that Rwanda has deployed thousands of troops inside the DRC and maintains “de facto control” over the rebel group.
Kagame, however, has denied direct military involvement. He insists that Rwanda’s objective is to eliminate the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, an armed group based in the DRC, which was formed by former Hutu leaders responsible for the 1994 Rwandan genocide against the Tutsis.
With diplomatic channels breaking down and regional tensions mounting, the crisis in eastern Congo threatens to spiral further, drawing in more actors and deepening instability in the Great Lakes region.
