Rwandan-Supported Rebels Surround Major City in DR Congo

Congolese rebels of the March 23 Movement have intensified fighting and surrounded a regional center in the border region, while neighboring Rwanda is preparing its troops for an invasion.

Africa news reported on this.

After taking control of the small village of Sake, Rwandan-supported militants launched an operation to surround the key regional city of Goma and its airport, located 27 kilometers east.

Congolese authorities blocked access to the airport and canceled all flights. In return, the capture of Sake blocked one of the main logistical routes to the city, further increasing tensions in the region.

It is known that six South African peacekeepers were killed in the fighting, and one of their armored vehicles was burned. UN representatives reported that 13 soldiers of the peacekeeping contingent in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had been killed in the fighting.

From the controlled heights around Sake and the nearby town of Minowa, the rebels are firing artillery at DR Congo troops. In addition, there were unconfirmed reports in the media about Rwandan drones striking targets in Congo.

The Congolese government and the UN claim that the M23 militants are supported by Rwanda. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a statement through his spokesman, called on Rwanda to stop supporting the M23 and withdraw from the DRC. He also called on the M23 to immediately cease all hostile actions and withdraw from the occupied areas.

The Guardian reported, citing intelligence sources, that a large number of troops from Rwanda were crossing the border into Congo to help the rebels capture Goma before an emergency UN meeting on the crisis in the region.

According to them, the soldiers of the Rwandan Defense Forces have secretly crossed the DRC border over the past few days to support the M23 militants in their offensive.

“The Rwandan army is lined up on the border, ready for an invasion,” a source with the knowledge of local intelligence told reporters.

Fighting between Congo and Rwanda

Relations between the two neighboring countries deteriorated in January 2021, when the rebel group Mouvement du 23 mars (March 23 Movement) began active hostilities in eastern DR Congo.

The Congolese authorities accuse Rwanda of supporting these rebels, who are composed mainly of ethnic Tutsi fighters from Congo. The rebel movement emerged as a result of the long-running 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The group claims to represent the interests of the Congolese Tutsi, an ethnic group that was targeted for extermination.

The real interests of the Rwandan forces may be to seize the eastern regions of the neighboring country and the mineral resources located there, such as gold, cobalt and tantalum.

UN experts have stated that they had evidence that Rwandan troops had cooperated with the March 23 Movement in eastern DR Congo and supplied the rebels with weapons and supplies. However, Rwanda denies the allegations.

A few years earlier, Ukrainian troops, including army aviation, had participated in a peacekeeping mission in the DRC, but were withdrawn after Russia’s full-scale invasion began.