The rebellion led by the M23 rebels in the eastern Congo increased and reached the city of Goma, deteriorating the humanitarian crisis in the region that suffered two destructive wars in 1996–2003.
The Rebel Alliance led by the ethnic militia of Tutsi, said that it took over the city of Lakeside, with over two million people, the main center for displaced people and help groups lying on the border with Rwana.
The deep pounding of heavy artillery fire and rapid shots could be heard in a film from the Goma airport, published in the last few hours in social media and verified by Reuters, which showed unidentified armed men running at the airport.
Roughly the size of Western Europe, the Democratic Republic of Congo, as formally known, is home to 100 million people, and the UN expressed concern that the offensive risk of M23 spirally in a wider regional war.
Here's what to know:
Who are the rebels?
M23 takes its name since March 23, 2009, an accord signed by the Congish government and the previous group of rebels under the direction of Tuts, the National Congress in defense of the people. M23 consists of both warriors from this original group, as well as the breaths of the Congress Army and the Police.
The group did not wait long to accuse the government of Congo not to meet the peace agreement by full integration of Congish Tutsis with the army and administration. Until 2012, he took control of Goma, retreating after subsequent negotiations with the government.
Last year, he started the current rebellion in 2022, and last year it fought, which led to territorial profits for M23. The rebels reported control over Masisi, about 80 kilometers north of Goma, at the beginning of January.
Rebel profits stopped the planned withdrawal last month Monusco, which first placed shoes on Earth in the country in 2000.
In 2023, the President of Congo Felix Tshiskedi called for quick track of peace forces. Their presence became more and more unpopular, and even caused fatal protests among the perception of some eastern inhabitants that they did not protect civilians against militia violence.
The UN mission, which distributes about 11,000 peace forces and 1750 civilians in Congo, was extended until December this year.
M23 has alliances with some political groups, including one led by Corneille Nangaa, a former clerk of the Congo Electoral Commission, including during a criticized victory in the 2018 election. heralded by the US Department of State In the first presidential administration of Donald Trump. Nangaa himself was sanctioned by the US for misconceptioning funds intended for elections by Washington.
While it is difficult to assess the range of support for the Nanga Fleuve Congo (AFC) alliance, which perceives M23 rebels as their military wing, UN experts informed an increasing number of armed fractions in December.
“Our goal is neither Goma nor Bukavu, but Kinszas (capital), the source of all problems,” he told Reuters in an interview. “In Congo we have a poor state or a non -state state. Where all armed groups were formed, this is because there is no state. We want to recreate the state. “
The role of Rwanda
Paul Kagame, Tutsi, was in fact the leader of Rwanda from genocide in 1994 in the country where nearly a million Tutsi and moderate Hutus were killed. While his regime was accused of abuse of human rights in the country and the hull of opposition in elections that are not free or honest, Western countries often tolerated autocrata.
In addition to the consolidation of power at home, Rwanda under Kagama has a long history of military intervention in Congo. Rwanda and Uganda invaded in 1996 and 1998, claiming that they defended themselves against local groups of militia.
Congo government, UN officials and Western powers, including the United States, accused the neighbor of Congo Rwanda of fueling the conflict by distributing thousands of their own soldiers and heavy weapons on Congish soil to support M23.
In the report of the UN expert group in 2022, “solid evidence” was issued that Rwanda's army fought next to the M23 rebels.
How rebels earn money
Several members of the UN Security Council, at an emergency meeting on Sunday in a spiral situation, repeated the sentiment of Russia's body representative, Vassily Nebenzia.
“We are convinced that the struggle to gain access to strategically important Congical Minerals is one of the reasons for continuing the crisis we are now witnessing,” said Nebenzia.
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The abundant stocks of Congo minerals have long been desirable by Chinese and Western companies, as well as armed groups. The Central African nation contains several minerals on Earth, which are part of the supply chains of electric vehicles, smartphones and computers.
M23 has been controlling the Mining Coltan region in Rubai for over a year. According to the UN, this allowed them to generate an estimated $ 800,000 per month through production tax.
Analysts say that the group has spread to new territories in recent weeks, in which it is possible to generate larger mining revenues. They include numbers, the eastern mining surface rich in gold, tourmaline and tin, tantalum and tank-tak called 3T minerals used in computers and mobile phones.
Technology manufacturers are tested to ensure that the metals used in their products do not come from conflict zones such as the eastern Congo. In the past, Apple denied the allegations that it had acquired cobalt and other conflict minerals, and in December It was reported that he said to the suppliers To stop conquering tin, tantalum, tanking and gold from Congo and Rwanda.
Men, women and children often worked in toxic conditions in Congo's mines, and according to UN experts, the rebels doubled doper wages to convince them to work in Rubaj.
Control of M23 transport routes from Rubai to Rwanda led to mixing Rwanda minerals with Rwanda production, polluting COLTANA supply chain, a group of experts of the UN Security Council in a report published at the beginning of this month.