Rwandan-backed M23 rebels who in late January captured Goma, the biggest city in eastern Congo, have since been advancing around one of Africas great lakes, Lake Kivu, towards the second-biggest city in the area, Bukavu. The latest fighting is part of a major escalation of a conflict over power, identity and resources dating back to the 1990s Rwandan genocide and the fall of dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in the country then known as Zaire. In its latest conflagration, hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been killed since 2012 and more than a million are now displaced. WHAT IS HAPPENING ON THE GROUND? After taking Goma, the rebels pressed south towards Bukavu, capital of South Kivu province. On Friday they were in control of the strategic Kavumu airport that serves Bukavu. The insurgents have been intent on showing they can restore order and govern in Goma. There have been more chaotic scenes and reports of looting and rape near the front line as M23 confronts the Congolese army and its allies, including Burundian troops. The U.N. refugee agency voiced concern on Friday at the rapidly deteriorating situation, saying the war had left around 350,000 displaced people with no roof over their heads. The involvement of Burundian and Rwandan troops on the ground has added to fears that the fighting could spiral into a regional conflict akin to two devastating wars in the region between 1996 and 2003 that cost millions of lives. Reuters reported this week that South Africa has sent additional troops and military equipment to Congo in recent days after 14 of its soldiers were killed in fighting with M23 last month. WHO ARE M23? M23, which refers to a March 23, 2009, accord that ended a previous Tutsi-led revolt in eastern Congo, is the latest group of ethnic Tutsi-led insurgents to take up arms against Congolese forces. It launched the current rebellion in 2022. The group has accused the government of Congo of not living up to the peace deal and fully integrating Congolese Tutsis into the army and administration. It also vows to defend Tutsi interests, particularly against ethnic Hutu militias such as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda FDLR. The FDLR was founded by Hutus who fled Rwanda after participating in the 1994 genocide that killed close to one million Tutsis and moderate Hutus. For more than a year, M23 has controlled Congos coltan-mining region of Rubaya, generating an estimated 800,000 per month through a production tax, according to the United Nations. Coltan is used in the production of smartphones and other equipment. The groups spread into new territories in recent weeks gives it scope to acquire more mining revenue, analysts say. WHY IS RWANDA INVOLVED? The government of Congo, U.N. officials and Western powers including the U.S. have accused Congos neighbour Rwanda of fuelling the conflict by deploying thousands of its own troops and heavy weapons on Congolese soil in support of M23.
The accusations are based on a 2022 report by a U.N. Group of Experts that said it had solid evidence that Rwandan troops had been fighting alongside the M23 rebels. Rwandan President Paul Kagames government, which denies backing the rebels, says it has taken what it calls defensive measures and accuses Congo of fighting alongside the FDLR, which has attacked Tutsis in both countries.
Rwanda has a long history of military intervention inside Congo. It and Uganda invaded in 1996 and 1998, claiming they were defending themselves against local militia groups and going after the perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
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