The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Goma, DRC | THE INDEPENDENT | The March 23 Movement (M23) rebels have announced the capture of Goma city in North Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The fall of Goma in the early hours of Monday morning followed fierce fighting between the rebels and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) that lasted for several days.
The fighting resulted in the death of Major General Peter Cirimwami Nkuba, military governor of North Kivu province, and nine South African soldiers who were in the country under peacekeeping and offensive missions. On Sunday, many diplomats in the city began fleeing to Rwanda. At exactly 05:00 AM on Monday, Lawrence Kanyuka, the rebels’ spokesperson, released a statement announcing the capture of the city, describing it as liberation.
He also announced the suspension of navigation at Lake Kivu until further notice and called for calm, stating that the situation was under control. “Effective immediately, all lake activities are suspended until further notice. We urge all residents of Goma to remain calm. The liberation of the city has been successfully carried out, and the situation is under control,” Kanyuka stated.
Earlier, Kanyuka had issued another statement ordering all FARDC soldiers and coalition forces to Unity Stadium by 03:00 AM to surrender their weapons to the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) so that the rebels could proceed to occupy Goma. On Sunday morning, Kanyuka claimed that all flights to Goma International Airport had been halted by the rebels.
By 07:00:30 AM, some MONUSCO staff working in Goma were seen seeking a way to the border at Grande Barrière to evacuate the DRC. The staff reported that all other routes had been blocked by M23. Rwanda promptly deployed buses in Gisenyi to transport MONUSCO troops who had fled Goma back to the interior of the country.
Reports indicate that Rwanda also provided an exit for the SADC/South African contingent that fled Goma on Sunday night. The DR Congo government has not yet released a statement regarding M23’s claims of capturing Goma city. M23 had captured Goma city during the 2012 insurgency but later withdrew after about seven days to allow for peace talks with the government.
Following their withdrawal, the government, alongside mercenaries and United Nations troops, launched an assault against them until they fled to Uganda and Rwanda. The insurgency resumed in 2022, led by Bertrand Bisimwa and Emmanuel Sultan Makenga, who captured FARDC positions in Tchanzu and Runoni in Rutshuru territory before advancing to seize the Bunagana border.
Since then, the insurgency has left many parts of North Kivu and South Kivu provinces under rebel control. Bisimwa and Makenga, in August 2024, allied with Corneille Nangaa Yobeluo, the former chairman of the country’s electoral commission, to amplify the insurgency against the government.
The DR Congo government has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting M23, a claim both Rwanda and M23 deny. The rebels assert that their fight is against corruption, xenophobia, and discrimination within DR Congo’s leadership.
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