Thousands of refugees, surrendering Congolese soldiers and stranded truckers flock into Rwanda
An escalation of the three-year insurgency in Congo since the start of the year has forced around 400,000 people from their homes. As in previous security crises in the rebel-torn region, some refugees have headed to Rwanda even as Congo and the United Nations accuse the neighbour of fuelling the conflict with its own troops and weapons.
Fall of Goma is game-changer: World powers’ reluctance to take on Rwanda means it’s going to be harder to push back M23 from Congo
A reluctance by world powers to take on Rwanda, other global distractions and on-the-ground military realities will complicate efforts to defeat the rebels in Goma and across eastern Congo and allow millions of civilians, like Nzambonimpa, to return to their homes, analysts and diplomats say.
Arrest warrants: Perpetrators of crimes against humanity in Sudan’s West Darfur are on ICC prosecutor’s radar
Two decades ago, Darfur became synonymous with genocide and war crimes, particularly by the notorious Janjaweed Arab militias against populations that identify as Central or East African. Up to 300,000 people were killed and 2.7 million were driven from their homes.
Analysts: M23 capture of Goma in eastern Congo likely to open floodgates for illicit gold exports to Dubai via Rwanda and Kenya
A lightning advance in Congo’s mineral-rich eastern borderlands is set to boost the M23 rebellion’s illegal mining revenues, with analysts predicting a further surge in illicit trade in minerals including coltan and gold through neighbouring Rwanda. The Rwanda-backed insurgency entered Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s largest city, this week,...
Dead bodies strewn on streets in Goma as US, France, Belgium embassy attacked as Kenya’s is looted by mobs in Kinshasa
The Rwandan, French, US, Ugandan, Kenyan, Dutch and Belgian embassies were targeted. Videos posted online and verified by experts showed dozens of people looting the Kenyan embassy, while others showed looting had spread to other locations including a supermarket.
Rwandan-backed M23 rebels swarm eastern Congo’s capital Goma in major conflict escalation, new-borns killed
Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Congo River Alliance that includes the M23, said his forces controlled the city. His claim could not be independently verified amid conflicting accounts of the situation as the sound of explosions, heavy artillery and gunfire resounded all day.
Some 300,000 Gaza residents stream home to the north after hostage breakthrough
Despite the ceasefire agreement, Palestinian hospital officials said a bulldozer driver was killed by an Israeli missile along the coastal road west of Nuseirat camp in central Gaza Strip. There was no immediate Israeli comment.
DRC military surrender, Goma residents flee after Rwanda-backed rebels roll into eastern Congo’s largest city
As the M23 rebels entered Goma, a fire at the city’s Munzenze Prison on Monday morning resulted in the escape of thousands of inmates. “All the prisoners who were detained came out, whether women, men or minors, everyone came out,” said Mwamisyo Ndungo, one of the escapees who estimated that more than 2,000 fled the facility.
Hours after M23 and allies announce Goma capture, UN Security Council demands rebels halt offensive in eastern Congo
The UN Security Council urged Rwanda and the DRC to return to talks to achieve peace and address issues related to the presence of Rwanda Defence Forces in the eastern Congo and Congolese support for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
Alliance announces fall of Goma city to rebels in eastern Congo as regional war looms
Well-trained and professionally armed, M23 – the latest in a long line of Tutsi-led rebel movements – says it exists to protect Congo’s ethnic Tutsi population.
