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| Members of the Congolese Red Cross and Civil Protection bury victims of the recent clashes in a cemetery in Goma on Monday. |
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Rwanda-Backed M23 Rebels Declare Ceasefire in Eastern Congo Amid Humanitarian Crisis
The Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, who recently seized the key city of Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, announced a unilateral ceasefire on Monday, citing humanitarian concerns. The decision follows urgent calls for a safe corridor for aid and the hundreds of thousands of displaced people affected by the conflict.
The rebels stated that the ceasefire would take effect on Tuesday. Their announcement came shortly after the World Health Organization reported that at least 900 people were killed in last week’s clashes between M23 fighters and Congolese forces in Goma.
With a population of two million, Goma sits at the center of a region rich in mineral wealth worth trillions of dollars and remains under rebel control. Reports indicate that M23 has continued to gain ground in other parts of eastern Congo and was advancing toward Bukavu, another provincial capital.
However, on Monday, M23 denied any intention of capturing Bukavu, despite earlier declarations of an ambition to march on Kinshasa, Congo’s capital, located nearly a thousand miles away.
“It must be made clear that we have no intention of capturing Bukavu or other areas. However, we reiterate our commitment to protecting and defending the civilian population and our positions,” said M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka in a statement.
Congo’s government has yet to respond to the ceasefire announcement. The statement was issued ahead of a joint summit of regional blocs from southern and eastern Africa, which have called for a truce. Kenyan President William Ruto confirmed that the leaders of Congo and Rwanda would attend.
Meanwhile, foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) urged all parties to return to negotiations, emphasizing the need for “rapid, safe, and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians.” While Congolese authorities have expressed openness to talks, they insist that any dialogue must align with existing peace agreements. Rwanda and the M23 rebels, on the other hand, have accused the Congolese government of failing to honor past accords.
According to U.N. experts, Rwanda has deployed approximately 4,000 troops in support of M23—significantly more than in 2012, when the rebels briefly captured Goma before withdrawing under international pressure. M23 remains one of the most powerful among the 100-plus armed groups fighting for control of eastern Congo’s resource-rich territories, which are essential to global technology supply chains.
The recent fighting has forced hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians to flee once again, with many seeking refuge in neighboring Rwanda.
The conflict is deeply rooted in decades-old ethnic tensions. M23 claims to be defending ethnic Tutsis in Congo, while Rwanda alleges that Tutsis are being persecuted by Hutus and remnants of the militias responsible for the 1994 genocide, in which 800,000 Tutsis and others were massacred. Many Hutu fighters fled to Congo after the genocide and formed the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) militia. Rwanda accuses the Congolese military of fully integrating FDLR fighters into its ranks—a charge that Congo denies.
In Goma, families overwhelmed morgues on Monday, desperately trying to identify loved ones as bodies were loaded onto trucks for burial.
Chiza Nyenyezi, in tears, recounted how her son was shot, the bullet tearing through his chest. “His entire chest was open,” she said.
Another grieving mother, Louise Shalukoma, recalled how her son’s body lay on the streets for hours because a bomb exploded when people tried to retrieve it.
“My God, my fourth child,” she lamented. “When I saw that he was dead, I said, ‘Lord, what am I going to do?’ This M23 war came for me in Goma.”
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