1 week ago
13
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
The M23 militia, funded and directed by Rwanda, said it took the city of Goma, terrifying its people, many of whom sought shelter there after fleeing the rebel advance.
By Caleb Kabanda and Ruth Maclean
Photographs by Guerchom Ndebo
Caleb Kabanda reported from Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ruth Maclean from Dakar, Senegal.
Jan. 27, 2025, 2:10 a.m. ET
A rebel militia backed by Rwanda has announced the capture of the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a major victory for the group and one of the most significant escalations in the conflict between the two countries in years.
The militia, known as M23, briefly occupied Goma once before, in 2012, then was defeated and lay dormant for almost a decade. Now it has come roaring back, aiming to occupy the region for the long term and exploit its valuable rare minerals, according to United Nations experts.
This time, M23 appears to be in a stronger position to keep hold of Goma, a city made up mainly of people who left their homes in terror and will now have to live under the rule of one of the armed groups they fled.
A spokesman for M23 announced the “liberation of the city of Goma” in a post on X, saying Congolese military personnel had to hand over their arms to the U.N. and assemble in a stadium before 3 a.m. There was no confirmation that had been completed yet, though, and there were scattered reports of gunfire in the city into Monday morning.
The conflict in eastern Congo — an area about the size of Michigan — was once labeled Africa’s World War. It has been going on since the 1990s, and has involved dozens of armed groups, of which M23 is currently dominant.
Image
