07 Jan 2025 | 01:44 PM UTC
DRC: Clashes intensify in North Kivu Province as of Jan. 7 /update 26
Further clashes are likely in North Kivu Province, DRC, through late January amid renewed violence.
Armed clashes and military operations involving the DRC Armed Forces (FARDC) and affiliated militias, international forces, and the M23 rebels will likely persist in North Kivu Province through at least late January. On Jan. 7, clashes have been reported near Sake, located about 25 km (15 miles) west of Goma. Artillery shells killed at least three civilians in the city. On Jan. 4, M23 rebels also took control of the Masisi locality, located along the R529 road west of Sake, and surrounding areas.
The renewed fighting is taking place after recent attempts to implement a ceasefire failed, including an aborted summit in Angola in mid-December between RDC and Rwanda, the latter citing DRC's unwillingness to negotiate with the M23.
Roads to and from Goma and Sake are often blocked by rebels or have been disrupted due to clashes, leading to delays in the transport of goods. Clashes near Sake and Goma may significantly disrupt the supply of goods from the north, west, and south, leaving only the land border with Rwanda as the remaining road entry and exit point for the region.
Officials could implement movement-restrictive measures in response to developments. Locals may stage protests in the region, including Goma, to denounce the perceived inaction of FARDC or foreign forces. These demonstrations have become increasingly frequent and have sometimes left several participants or security forces injured or killed.
Consult local security partners on the viability of traveling in the region. Exercise extreme caution. Reconfirm the status of roads and border crossings before departure. Travel in convoy, during daylight hours and only following a full review of the route. Avoid all demonstrations. Adhere to directives issued by local authorities. Maintain contact with diplomatic missions.
The M23 group claims to defend Tutsi interests and is seeking to pressure the government to honor a peace agreement signed in 2013, which allows the reintegration of the armed forces into society, among other issues, against a historical backdrop of ethnic tensions. Following several years of relative respite, the M23 rebel group remerged in late 2021.
Since the M23 resurgence, tensions have increased between DRC and its neighbors, particularly with Rwanda. DRC officials have accused Rwanda of supporting the rebels. Several cross-border incidents involving DRC and Rwanda occurred, including minor exchanges of fire between DRC and Rwandan security forces at the border crossing between Goma (DRC) and Gisenyi (Rwanda).
The situation has drawn growing international attention. In 2024, the US attributed the renewed clashes to M23 rebels supported by Rwanda and called for the departure of all Rwandan forces and their military equipment in eastern DRC, citing the threat to civilians, UN, and humanitarian actors, as well as commercial flights. The US also called on DRC to cease cooperation with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) armed group. Multiple human rights organizations, the UN, the EU, and the US had previously denounced the alleged support provided by Rwanda to M23 rebels.
