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Boma, DRC | THE INDEPENDENT | The March 23 Movement (M23) has claimed the capture of D’idjwi Island in D’idjwi territory, South Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
M23 on Thursday shared pictures and videos of their fighters addressing locals on the largest Island in the middle of Lake Kivu. Rebels claim that the capture of the island happened without fighting since Armed Forces of Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) soldiers and coalition had fled.
Mustapha Maomboleo, an administrator in the area D’idjwi, says the rebels also hosted themselves on a local radio station and addressed the masses. D’idjwi Island is located about 70 kilometers from Bukavu City and nearly 60 kilometers from Goma City. The island provides easy access to Rwanda via Lake Kivu.
It also provides easy control of Irhe and Iko in Kalehe territory, as well as Kabonde, Ludjo, and Lugendo and Ishungu in the neighboring Kabare territory in South Kivu province. The advance was announced at the same time Southern African Development Community (SADC) directed for the end of the military mission in DR Congo.
Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) SAMIDRC troops had been deployed in eastern DR Congo in December 2023 to carry out an offensive against M23 rebels. SAMIDRC troops replaced an East African Community Regional Force (EACF) troop that was in the area for a peace-keeping mission. The impact of SAMIDRC was, however, not realized after M23 rebels in this year launched full-scale assault and captured Goma and Bukavu cities, Goma international airport and Kavumu airport.
On Thursday afternoon, the SADC released a statement announcing the end of the mission as well as ordering for a gradual withdrawal of the troops from Congolese soil. M23 rebels have not yet released a statement about the SADC decision.
The decision comes two days after Angola announced the start of direct negotiations between Kinshasa and the M23 rebels, starting on March 18 2025, in the capital, Luanda.
M23 control major parts of North Kivu and other parts of South Kivu provinces. Since the resumption of the M23 insurgency in 2022, led by Bertrand Bisimwa and Emmanuel Sultan Makenga, the DR Congo government has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting M23, a claim that both Rwanda and M23 deny. The rebels assert that their fight is against corruption, xenophobia and discrimination within the DR Congo’s leadership.
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