EASTERN CONGO WAR INTENSIFIES

Global attention has locked on the rapidly escalating situation in the mineral-rich eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels claim they control Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.

Following fierce battles in the city of 2 million people, unverified reports claimed that M23 rebels seized control of the airport. Protests then broke out in DRC's capital, Kinshasa, with demonstrators setting fire to several foreign embassies, among them those of Belgium, France, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and the United States.

Meanwhile, DRC President Félix Tshisekedi snubbed a 29 January emergency meeting called by Kenyan President William Ruto, chairman of regional bloc, the East African Community (EAC).

The DRC government has, alongside the UN, accused Rwanda of supplying military and logistical aid to the insurgents. A UN expert report in June 2024 revealed that Kigali has dispatched up to 4,000 troops to eastern Congo, significantly empowering the M23 and enabling them to capture vast stretches of mineral-rich land. Rwandan President Paul Kagame admitted in 2022 that the DRC's plundered loot went through his country on its way to its destination.

The UN Refugee Agency reports that since the start of 2025, the fighting has forced 500,000 eastern Congolese to flee their homes. Fighting reignited after the cancellation of peace talks between the leaders of Congo and Rwanda, set for 15 December. Since then, the M23's advance has surged, seizing towns and settlements in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, effectively encircling Goma. In a state of panic, hundreds of thousands of residents are reportedly fleeing alongside surrendering Congolese forces and UN peacekeepers, crossing into Rwanda. The UN has urgently called for coordinated international action to halt the conflict, labelling the humanitarian crisis in the region as ‘unimaginable.’

Over 120 militia groups, fuelled by foreign interests, are locked in a fierce struggle for control over Congo’s untapped mineral wealth, estimated to be worth around $24 trillion. The surge in electric vehicles and smart technology has driven up demand for DRC’s cobalt, coltan, and other rare minerals, often extracted under horrific conditions, including the use of child labour. In March 2024, a US court dismissed a lawsuit brought by former child miners and their guardians against major tech companies in the US. However, similar legal actions are advancing in Europe.

Sources:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/1/29/dr-congo-live-news-rwanda-backed-m23-rebels-tighten-grip-on-goma

https://www.dw.com/en/dr-congo-people-flee-homes-2025/a-71440536

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-29/congo-unrest-goma-embassies-attacked/104869744

https://english.news.cn/africa/20250128/8709a2e23591488ca26bb5de8951be98/c.html

https://chimpreports.com/m23-rebellion-3-malawian-peacekeepers-killed-in-drc

https://www.npr.org/2025/01/26/g-s1-44839/international-peacekeepers-killed-eastern-congo

https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/01/1159541

https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2025/01/democratic-republic-of-the-congo-briefing-3.php 

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/african-countries-condemn-attack-on-embassies-in-congo/3464804

https://www.caritas.org/2010/02/six-million-dead-in-congos-war/