DR Congo army blames M23 for attacks amid ceasefire
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The Rwanda-backed M23 militia has intensified clashes in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, undermining recent ceasefire agreements and threatening control over key mining regions.
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Members of M23 rebel patrol on the street of Goma, Congo, Thursday, January 30, 2025 (AP)
The Congolese army accused the Rwanda-backed M23 militia of launching "multiple attacks" on its positions in the east, where days of escalating clashes have endangered a US-brokered ceasefire deal, according to a statement issued on Tuesday.
For more than three decades, the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a resource-rich region bordering Rwanda, has endured severe violence due to the presence of numerous non-state armed groups operating in the area.
After resuming armed activities in late 2021, the M23 rebel group, with support from Rwanda, has expanded its control over large territories in the volatile eastern DRC, worsening an already dire humanitarian situation, before escalating tensions further in early 2024 by capturing strategic urban centers, including Goma and Bukavu, where they established parallel governance structures.
On July 19, in Doha, Qatar, the Congolese government and the M23 signed a declaration of principles including a "permanent ceasefire" to de-escalate hostilities, coming weeks after a separate agreement was reached between Kinshasa and Kigali during US-mediated talks in Washington the previous month.
Fire exchanged, accusations volleyed
Despite the signed agreements, clashes have persisted on the ground, with hostilities intensifying since Friday near Mulamba in South Kivu province, an area where the front line had remained largely unchanged since March.
Between Friday and Monday, the M23 launched assaults on positions controlled by pro-Kinshasa militia and government troops, forcing their retreat by several kilometers following intense exchanges of both light and heavy weapons, according to local witnesses and security officials.
Congolese army spokesperson Sylvain Ekenge stated in a release that the "almost daily" attacks represent an "intentional and manifest violation" of both the Washington peace agreement and the Doha declaration of principles, while the military affirmed its preparedness to counter "to all provocations from this coalition, accustomed to violating agreements."
In a Monday post on X, M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka accused the DRC government of persisting with "its offensive military manoeuvres aimed at full-scale war."
Following a brief morning lull, combat operations restarted in Mulamba by Tuesday afternoon, as local sources reported, while also noting that both conflicting parties had deployed additional reinforcements to the area since Sunday.
A successful M23 advance in the mountainous region could enable the armed group to seize control of numerous mining operations, predominantly gold mines currently operated by Chinese companies.
