M23 rebels announce withdrawal from eastern DR Congo villages
2 years, 8 months ago

M23 rebels announce withdrawal from eastern DR Congo villages

Al Jazeera  

Rebels from the M23 group have announced their retreat from villages captured in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo last week following clashes with government troops in the Rutshuru region. Fighting between the rebels and soldiers flared up Wednesday after several days of calm, and rebels from the March 23 Movement took control of around a dozen villages in Rutshuru territory in North Kivu province, local sources said. The M23 took the “decision to withdraw, once more, from its newly-won positions … to allow for its concerns to be addressed through open and fruitful dialogue with the government” of DR Congo, the group said on Sunday. Becoming one of the scores of armed groups that roam eastern DR Congo, the M23 briefly seized the city of Goma before being defeated and forced out of the country.

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History of this topic

Congo replaces top military chief and other senior officers as fighting in the east rages on
3 days, 8 hours ago

Congo replaces top military chief and other senior officers as fighting in the east rages on

Associated Press  

GOMA, Congo — Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi has replaced the armed forces chief and several other top officers in a major reshuffle while the military battles rebels in the country’s eastern region, state media announced late Thursday. Congo’s military has been fighting more than 100 armed groups for years in the mineral-rich eastern region where the rebels are vying for …

Fighting in eastern Congo between army and rebels intensifies ahead of peace talks Sunday
1 week, 1 day ago

Fighting in eastern Congo between army and rebels intensifies ahead of peace talks Sunday

Associated Press  

GOMA, Congo — Fighting between the Congolese army and the M23 rebel group intensified in eastern Congo in recent days ahead of much anticipated peace talks on Sunday, the army said. Congo’s army accused the M23 of killing 12 civilians earlier this week in villages of the Lubero territory in the eastern province of North-Kivu in a statement on Friday. …

Fighting resumes in eastern Congo in cease-fire breach ahead of possible mediation talks
2 weeks, 6 days ago

Fighting resumes in eastern Congo in cease-fire breach ahead of possible mediation talks

LA Times  

In 2022, M23 rebels stand with their weapons in Kibumba in eastern Congo. Fighting between the Congolese army and the M23 rebel group resumed in eastern Congo in yet another cease-fire violation ahead of potential mediation talks, both groups said. M23 is one of a 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo near …

Congo accuses rebel group of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in country’s east
1 month ago

Congo accuses rebel group of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in country’s east

Associated Press  

KINSHASA, Congo — Congo’s government on Tuesday accused the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group of “ethnic cleansing” in the central African nation’s east. M23, or the March 23 Movement, is a rebel military group mainly made up of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army just over a decade ago. The group rose to prominence in 2012 when its …

Uganda backed M23 in DRC, Rwanda’s ‘de facto control’ on group: UN experts
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Uganda backed M23 in DRC, Rwanda’s ‘de facto control’ on group: UN experts

Al Jazeera  

The United Nations report says the Ugandan army supported the rebels while some 3,000-4,000 Rwandan soldiers fought alongside them in the eastern DRC. The UN Security Council’s group of experts on Monday also said some 3,000-4,000 Rwandan soldiers fought alongside M23 rebels in eastern DRC and that Kigali had “de facto control” of the group’s operations. “Since the resurgence of …

At least 10 people killed as rebels seize a town in Congo’s conflict-hit eastern region
9 months, 2 weeks ago

At least 10 people killed as rebels seize a town in Congo’s conflict-hit eastern region

Associated Press  

GOMA, Congo — A rebel group with alleged links to neighboring Rwanda seized a town in Congo’s conflict-hit eastern region following attacks that killed at least 10 people and displaced thousands, reports said Wednesday. He said thousands of people had fled toward Goma, which is eastern Congo’s largest city and the capital of North Kivu province. M23 controls about half …

Rwanda rejects US calls for withdrawal of missiles and troops from eastern Congo
10 months ago

Rwanda rejects US calls for withdrawal of missiles and troops from eastern Congo

Associated Press  

KAMPALA, Uganda — Authorities in Rwanda on Monday rejected U.S. calls for the withdrawal of troops and missile systems from eastern Congo, saying they are defending Rwandan territory as Congo carries out a “dramatic military build-up” near the border. Rwanda’s Foreign Ministry in a statement spoke of threats to Rwandan national security stemming from the presence in Congo of an …

3 dead in bombing attack on Congo displacement camp as violence in the east escalates
10 months, 1 week ago

3 dead in bombing attack on Congo displacement camp as violence in the east escalates

Associated Press  

GOMA, Congo — A group of rebels bombed a displacement camp in eastern Congo’s North Kivu province killing three civilians and injuring eight others, a local civil society group said Tuesday, as violence in the conflict-hit region sparked protests and a humanitarian group warned that thousands are facing limited access to aid. A rebel group with alleged links to neighboring …

Residents scatter as they fear Congo rebel group will again seize key eastern city of Goma
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Residents scatter as they fear Congo rebel group will again seize key eastern city of Goma

Associated Press  

GOMA, Congo — One of eastern Congo’s most active rebel groups is attacking a community considered the last line of defense before the region’s largest city of Goma, fleeing residents said Wednesday, even as the rebels claimed they had no intention to seize it again. The M23, with alleged ties to Rwanda, detonated explosives in North Kivu’s Sake city 27 …

Thousands flee in eastern DR Congo as M23 rebels advance near Goma
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Thousands flee in eastern DR Congo as M23 rebels advance near Goma

Al Jazeera  

Thousands of people are fleeing violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo as fighting intensifies between the Congolese army and the M23 armed group. Thousands are “on the road right now”, trying to escape the violence and get to Goma, Al Jazeera’s Alain Uaykani said, reporting from Bulengo on Wednesday. We don’t know where we can go … but …

Congo rebel group kills at least 19 people in attack on eastern town
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Congo rebel group kills at least 19 people in attack on eastern town

Associated Press  

KINSHASA, Congo — At least 19 people were killed when rebels attacked a town in Congo’s North Kivu province, the army said late Thursday, the latest violence in the country’s conflict-battered east. The rebels shelled the town of Mweso, where they “indiscriminately dropped mortar bombs,” which also injured 27 other civilians, army spokesman Lt. Col. Guillaume N’djike Kaïko said in …

Rebels in Congo take key outpost in the east as peacekeepers withdraw and fighting intensifies
1 year ago

Rebels in Congo take key outpost in the east as peacekeepers withdraw and fighting intensifies

Associated Press  

GOMA, Congo — Armed rebels seized a town in eastern Congo on Thursday after violently clashing with the army, which has taken on an expanded role as peacekeeping forces withdraw from the mineral-rich, conflict-stricken region. “The inhabitants are moving en masse.” M23 is a large and powerful rebel group that operates near Congo’s border with Rwanda, a mineral-rich region where …

Rebels claim to capture more ground in Congo’s east, raising further concerns about election safety
1 year, 1 month ago

Rebels claim to capture more ground in Congo’s east, raising further concerns about election safety

Associated Press  

GOMA, Congo — A rebel group with alleged links to neighboring Rwanda claimed Wednesday to have seized a key town in Congo’s conflict-hit eastern region amid intense fighting, raising further security concerns ahead of the country’s Dec. 20 presidential election. Mweso town, which is about 100 kilometres from the North Kivu provincial capital of Goma, came under the control of …

Congo’s presidential candidates kick off campaigning a month before election
1 year, 1 month ago

Congo’s presidential candidates kick off campaigning a month before election

Associated Press  

KINSHASA, Congo — Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and a politician hoping to unseat him next month launched their campaigns Sunday as the incumbent leader faces ongoing violence in eastern Congo and a divided field of opposition candidates. The candidates represented at the talks included Martin Fayulu, a former oil executive who lost to Thisekedi five years ago; businessman Moise Katumbi; …

Congo orders regional peacekeepers to leave by December
1 year, 2 months ago

Congo orders regional peacekeepers to leave by December

Associated Press  

GOMA, Congo — Congo’s government spokesperson has said that the East African regional force would have to leave the country by Dec. 8 because of a “lack of satisfactory results on the ground” as agreed on during a regional meeting. Partick Muyaya told journalists on Monday night that the East African Community, or EAC, force must leave the country “because …

What’s driving DR Congo’s deadly conflict with M23?
1 year, 6 months ago

What’s driving DR Congo’s deadly conflict with M23?

Al Jazeera  

On Tuesday, June 20 at 19:30 GMT: The Democratic Republic of Congo has been facing political instability and armed violence since 1996, with an estimated six million people killed since the conflict began. According to a Human Rights Watch report, M23 allegedly executed scores of villagers and militia members between November 2022 and April 2023, burying them in mass graves …

‘We need peace’: M23 war displaces DRC residents yet again
1 year, 6 months ago

‘We need peace’: M23 war displaces DRC residents yet again

Al Jazeera  

For thousands of people in the eastern DRC, displacement in the latest onslaught by the M23 is another episode in their fight for survival. “They are still practically using the same discourse,” said Sematumba of the rebels, comparing current fighters with their predecessors in the first M23 rebellion and to CNDP combatants. “ Kagame got very angry about that.” Life …

Rebels capture more ground in Congo as fighting intensifies
1 year, 9 months ago

Rebels capture more ground in Congo as fighting intensifies

Associated Press  

GOMA, Congo — A rebel group linked with neighboring Rwanda seized more territory Friday, threatening supply routes to the regional capital, as fighting intensified in conflict-ridden east Congo, local residents and aid workers said. As M23 rebels captured the village of Mushaki in North Kivu province after more than two days of fighting with government forces and militias, civilians — …

M23 rebels take control of Kitshanga in eastern DR Congo
1 year, 10 months ago

M23 rebels take control of Kitshanga in eastern DR Congo

Al Jazeera  

The rebels seize the strategic town after days of fierce fighting, drawing condemnation from the UN. The M23 rebels have seized the strategic town of Kitshanga in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after days of fierce fighting, drawing condemnation from the UN. M23′s political spokesman, Lawrence Kanyuka, in a statement on Thursday accused government troops of attacking civilians in …

UN condemns M23 rebel offensive on DRC town as hundreds flee
1 year, 10 months ago

UN condemns M23 rebel offensive on DRC town as hundreds flee

Al Jazeera  

The M23 rebels have seized areas of eastern DRC’s North Kivu province in a rapid onslaught since May. The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has condemned an offensive by M23 rebels in the east of the country that forced 450 people, including women and children, to seek refuge around its base in Kitshanga town. …

Fighting intensifies in eastern Congo, displacing hundreds
1 year, 10 months ago

Fighting intensifies in eastern Congo, displacing hundreds

Associated Press  

GOMA, Congo — Fighting intensified around a town in eastern Congo Thursday as a rebel group seeking to expand the territory it controls increased pressure on government troops defending it, forcing hundreds of civilians to flee their homes. Congo for months has accused neighboring Rwanda of supporting the M23 group — whose origins lie in the region’s ethnic fighting — …

Tear gas fired at Congo protesters opposing foreign troops
1 year, 11 months ago

Tear gas fired at Congo protesters opposing foreign troops

Associated Press  

GOMA, Congo — Police fired tear gas at demonstrators in eastern Congo on Wednesday after dozens of people took part in an unauthorized protest in Goma against the presence of foreign troops to help quell violence from armed groups. Leaders of the seven-nation East African Community resolved last year to create and deploy a regional force to eastern Congo, where …

UN internal report flags rebels flouting ceasefire in eastern DRC
1 year, 11 months ago

UN internal report flags rebels flouting ceasefire in eastern DRC

Al Jazeera  

There is uncertainty about the status of the conflict in parts of east DRC, although M23 rebels agreed to a ceasefire. United Nations intelligence analysts have spotted suspected movements by M23 rebels in parts of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo from which they were meant to have withdrawn, internal UN documents show. “Their total withdrawal from the area …

M23 rebels pledge to withdraw from eastern DRC town
1 year, 11 months ago

M23 rebels pledge to withdraw from eastern DRC town

Al Jazeera  

The DRC has slammed M23’s latest moves as a ‘sham’ designed to distract from the group reinforcing its positions elsewhere. The M23 rebels have promised to retreat from the town of Rumangabo in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo weeks after they announced they would leave the nearby city of Kibumba, but the DRC military has questioned the rebel group’s …

M23 rebels pledge to retreat from key position in eastern DRC
2 years ago

M23 rebels pledge to retreat from key position in eastern DRC

Al Jazeera  

Violence from the group has caused hundreds of thousands of people to flee in fear from the DRC’s volatile east region. The M23 rebel group, who have seized swaths of territory in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have pledged to retreat from a strategic front-line position. In a statement on Friday, the rebels announced that it …

‘Tired of this war': Congolese cope with M23 rebel violence
2 years ago

‘Tired of this war': Congolese cope with M23 rebel violence

Associated Press  

BENI, Congo — Kavira Mathe was making dinner for her two sons when bullets began flying. “We are tired of this war.” Communities in eastern Congo are struggling to survive in the wake of that massacre and others in which at least 130 people were killed by M23 rebels in what the United Nations called “unspeakable violence” against civilians. The …

131 civilians killed by M23 rebels in eastern Congo, says UN
2 years ago

131 civilians killed by M23 rebels in eastern Congo, says UN

Associated Press  

BENI, Congo — Arbitrarily shooting, stabbing, raping and abducting people, rebels in eastern Congo have killed at least 131 people and inflicted “unspeakable violence” against civilians, says a new U.N. report. The M23 rebel group killed men, women and children in two villages in Congo’s Rutshuru territory in North Kivu province last month, according to a preliminary investigation by the …

M23 rebels killed at least 131 civilians in eastern DRC, UN says
2 years ago

M23 rebels killed at least 131 civilians in eastern DRC, UN says

Al Jazeera  

Victims were ‘arbitrarily executed’ during a massacre in two villages in North Kivu in late November, a preliminary investigation has found. M23 rebels killed at least 131 civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo late last month as part of a campaign of murder, rape, kidnapping and looting, the United Nations has said. In a preliminary investigation released on …

M23 rebels accuse Congo’s government of breaking cease-fire
2 years ago

M23 rebels accuse Congo’s government of breaking cease-fire

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — M23 rebels accused a government coalition in Congo on Wednesday of targeted killings and breaching a cease-fire agreed to last month, jeopardizing prospects for peace in the country’s conflict-riddled east. M23 alleges the coalition attacked its positions in North Kivu province and was killing civilians, destroying houses and slaughtering cows, Lawrence Kanyuka, the rebel group’s political spokesperson, …

M23 says ready to ‘withdraw’ in eastern DRC, yet clashes reported
2 years ago

M23 says ready to ‘withdraw’ in eastern DRC, yet clashes reported

Al Jazeera  

The armed group, which was absent from the latest peace talks, has requested a meeting with regional mediators over the continuing conflict. The M23 rebel group says it is ready to withdraw from occupied territory in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and will support regional peace-making efforts despite not being represented in talks. The Tutsi-led armed group widely seen …

UN mission denounces DR Congo ‘massacre’, calls for investigation
2 years ago

UN mission denounces DR Congo ‘massacre’, calls for investigation

Al Jazeera  

Peacekeeping mission condemns ‘appalling act’ as it calls for an immediate end to violence against civilians in the east. The UN’s peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has denounced the killings of 50 villagers allegedly by the M23 armed group in the country’s conflict-wracked east as it called for an investigation to “bring the perpetrators to justice”. …

DR Congo army accuses M23 rebels of killing 50 civilians
2 years ago

DR Congo army accuses M23 rebels of killing 50 civilians

Al Jazeera  

The armed forces say the rebel group also violated a five-day-old ceasefire in the east of the country. The armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have accused the M23 rebel group and its allies of killing 50 civilians in the eastern town of Kishishe. General Sylvain Ekenge told the AFP news agency that M23 was “carrying out …

Talks begin on disarmament of rebel groups in eastern Congo
2 years ago

Talks begin on disarmament of rebel groups in eastern Congo

The Independent  

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DRC fighting resumes, M23 say ceasefire deal doesn’t affect them
2 years ago

DRC fighting resumes, M23 say ceasefire deal doesn’t affect them

Al Jazeera  

Congolese government has rejected any direct talks with M23, while the armed group says it has no plans to withdraw. Fighting resumed between troops in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and M23 rebels in the country’s east on Friday, as the armed group said a ceasefire deal between African leaders “doesn’t really concern” them. But Lawrence Kanyuka, the political …

Rwanda agrees on ‘immediate ceasefire’ in eastern DR Congo
2 years, 1 month ago

Rwanda agrees on ‘immediate ceasefire’ in eastern DR Congo

Al Jazeera  

Former Kenyan president and Rwandan leader agree on the need for M23 rebels to cease fire and withdraw from eastern DRC. Kenya’s former President Uhuru Kenyatta and Rwandan leader Paul Kagame have agreed on the need for M23 rebels to cease fire and withdraw from captured territories in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to the East African …

Thousands displaced as M23 rebels near key DRC city of Goma
2 years, 1 month ago

Thousands displaced as M23 rebels near key DRC city of Goma

Al Jazeera  

Fighting between the M23 and the DRC army has led to a looming humanitarian crisis as thousands have been displaced in the country’s volatile east. Thousands of people have been displaced in the volatile eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo as fighting between the army and M23 rebels moved close to the key city of Goma, an …

DR Congo jets bomb M23 rebel targets in east, official says
2 years, 1 month ago

DR Congo jets bomb M23 rebel targets in east, official says

Al Jazeera  

Air strikes carried out after M23 rebels seize territory in the eastern DR Congo, displacing at least 90,000 people in the past month. Fighter jets from the Democratic Republic of the Congo have bombed rebel targets in the embattled east, escalating the country’s fight against the M23 group, which has seized territory in recent weeks. “We call on the Congolese …

Photos: Anti-MONUSCO protests in DR Congo’s Goma turn violent
2 years, 4 months ago

Photos: Anti-MONUSCO protests in DR Congo’s Goma turn violent

Al Jazeera  

At least five people have been killed and some 50 wounded on the second day of protests against a United Nations peacekeeping force in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to a government spokesman. Protesters on Monday attacked a warehouse of the MONUSCO force and looted offices, demanding that the mission leave for failing to protect civilians in …

DR Congo welcomes deployment of regional force to fight rebels
2 years, 6 months ago

DR Congo welcomes deployment of regional force to fight rebels

Al Jazeera  

Kinshasa says it will not accept the participation of Rwandan troops in any regional force to fight the M23 rebels. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has welcomed Kenya’s proposal to deploy a regional force to fight the M23 rebel group in the east of the country, but said it won’t accept neighbour Rwanda’s participation. Rwanda denies DRC’s allegations that …

M23 rebels seize key DRC town, Congolese military blames Rwanda
2 years, 6 months ago

M23 rebels seize key DRC town, Congolese military blames Rwanda

Al Jazeera  

M23 rebels capture a key border town in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, marking a dramatic escalation in tensions between the Central African neighbours. The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s military has accused Rwanda of “no less than an invasion” after M23 rebels captured a key border town, marking a dramatic escalation in tensions between the two Central African …

M23 rebels attack military positions in eastern DR Congo
2 years, 8 months ago

M23 rebels attack military positions in eastern DR Congo

Al Jazeera  

The clashes were reported near the villages of Tshanzu and Runyoni, about 50km northeast of Goma. Fighters from a rebel group attacked an army position in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s conflict-torn east overnight, triggering heavy fighting, a local official and a witness have said. “I confirm the attack since last night on our positions,” Muhindo Luanzo, assistant to the …

Gunmen seize villages in DRC near Uganda, Rwanda borders
3 years, 1 month ago

Gunmen seize villages in DRC near Uganda, Rwanda borders

Al Jazeera  

Overnight, gunmen have seized the villages of Tshanzu and Runyoni, the last redoubts of the M23 group before their defeat years ago. Gunmen have seized at least two villages overnight in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo near the border with Uganda and Rwanda, a local official and an activist group said. The two villages, Tshanzu and Runyoni, were …

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