The Congolese president has vowed to mount a “vigorous, coordinated response” by the army against Rwanda-based M23 rebels who have made a major advance in the mineral-east of the country in recent weeks, taking control of the key city of Goma.
In his first public remarks on Wednesday (29 January) since the M23 fighters seized Goma, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Felix Tshisekedi, said that a “vigorous and coordinated response against these terrorists and their sponsors is underway”. He also condemned the “silence and inaction” of the international community, calling it an “affront” in the face of an “unprecedented worsening of the security situation” that threatens the stability of the whole region. A day earlier, the DRC’s foreign minister, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, demanded action during a United Nations Security Council meeting that was held to discuss the escalating crisis. This includes imposing sanctions against the Rwandan defense force and the withdrawal of “random troops” from DRC territory and.
The M23 offensive has rattled the continent, with East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) holding emergency summits, and the United Nations, United States, and European Union urging an end to fighting and condemning Rwanda for the rebels advance. But Rwandan president Paul Kagame has rejected the growing backlash over Kigali’s support for M23 rebels in eastern Congo, asserting that his country is ready for “confrontation”. Despite the growing international pressure to hold the offensive, the M23 fighters have now also reportedly seized two districts in South Kivu province as they are advancing toward Kavumu and Bukavu in what is likely the biggest escalation in the conflict since 2012.
