Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi has vowed a "strong and coordinated" response to reclaim the city of Goma, which was seized by M23 rebels earlier this week.
In a televised address on Wednesday, Tshisekedi accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 insurgency, calling the rebel group a "terrorist organization." He stated that he had convened emergency meetings with government and military officials to assess the situation and plan countermeasures.
Earlier on Wednesday, nearly 300 foreign mercenaries hired by the Congolese government surrendered to the rebel group. Recruited to bolster DR Congo’s underfunded and disorganized army, the mercenaries reportedly worsened the conflict due to a lack of coordination.
After being cornered alongside remnants of Congo’s army and allied militias, the fighters surrendered to United Nations peacekeepers, who facilitated their repatriation through Rwanda. Before crossing the border, one of the mercenaries was publicly reprimanded by an M23 spokesperson in front of journalists.
Rwanda, which diplomats claim supports M23 fighters, called for a ceasefire in eastern Congo and urged the Congolese government to negotiate with the rebels. However, Kigali has denied any involvement in the conflict.
Rwanda’s foreign minister told Reuters that fighting in Goma itself had stopped because the city was now under M23 control.
Meanwhile, residents in Goma reported ongoing looting and sporadic gunfire in the city.
The Congolese government considers M23 a “terrorist group” and has refused to engage in direct negotiations with them.
M23 rebels are reportedly advancing south from Goma in an apparent bid to expand their controlled territory. Videos circulating on social media show armed fighters moving along the rebels' reported route, though it remains unclear which side the individuals belong to.
The rebels' rapid territorial gains in mineral-rich eastern Congo since the start of the year follow the collapse of peace talks between Kinshasa and Kigali in mid-December.
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The military spokesperson for the M23 rebel movement, Willy Ngoma, was killed in an army drone strike in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo early on Tuesday (24 February), according to a regional diplomat, a senior rebel figure and a Western adviser to the government.
The Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 rebel group signed a framework agreement on Saturday (15 November) for a peace deal aimed at ending the ongoing conflict in eastern DR Congo, which has resulted in thousands of deaths and the displacement of hundreds of thousands this year.
The UN Human Rights Office said on Friday that armed groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, including M23 rebels and government forces, committed serious violations that may amount to war crimes, citing killings, rapes and torture.
When Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militants stormed her village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Maman Soki lost her daughter, sister, and neighbours.
The foreign ministers of the G7 group of nations on Friday called for an immediate stop to attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in the Iran war.
The involvement of Yemen’s Houthis has heightened regional tensions as the Iran-aligned group joins the conflict. The U.S. says it is hopeful of holding talks with Iran in the coming days, while Tehran has said that "talking and bombing is intolerable". Welcome to our live coverage of the conflict.
France has rejected claims that South Africa was dropped from the guest list for this year’s G7 summit under pressure from United States, insisting the decision to invite Kenya was its own.
Two months after Indian negotiators worked in January to secure relief from punitive U.S. tariffs on the country’s exports and New Delhi moved to cut back its purchases of Russian crude oil, India and Russia are stepping up their energy ties once again, according to Reuters.
The United Arab Emirates has told the U.S. and other Western allies that it is willing to participate in a multinational maritime taskforce aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Nepal’s ousted former prime minister, KP Sharma Oli, and former home minister Ramesh Lekhak have been arrested over alleged negligence linked to the deaths of protesters during anti-corruption demonstrations last September.
China is moving ahead with plans to establish a nationwide long-term care insurance system, aimed at supporting its rapidly ageing population and easing the financial burden on families caring for elderly relatives.
The U.S. Congress failed on Friday (27 March) to resolve a six-week funding impasse that has disrupted airports and left tens of thousands of federal workers without pay, raising fears of further travel chaos during the busy spring break period.
Tiger Woods, the former world number one golfer, has been released from custody after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence following a crash in Florida, police said.
Turkish military personnel participating in NATO’s mission in Iraq have been “successfully” withdrawn from the country, the Turkish Defence Ministry announced on Thursday.
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