Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Netanyahu: If Lebanese Army takes steps to disarm Hezbollah, Israel will engage in reciprocal measures, including phased reduction of Israeli military presence in Lebanon
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Photojournalist Houssam Al-Masri martyred, reporters Hatem Omar, Mohammad Ashraf Salameh injured in Israeli strike on Nasser Medical Complex.
Israeli media: Intense US efforts are being made to resolve differences, such as the issue of the Israeli presence on Mount Hermon and in southern Syria
Israeli media: The security agreement means amending the disengagement agreement, which will also address the Druze issue
Israeli media: Attempts to reach a security agreement between 'Israel' and Syria were among the topics discussed at the Paris meeting
Israeli media: Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif rejected a US proposal to join the recent tripartite meeting between Tom Barrack, al-Shaibani, and Dermer
Saba News Agency: Two martyred, five injured in a preliminary toll of the Israeli aggression on the Yemeni Oil Company station on Al-Sitteen Street in Sanaa
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: We observed a state of confusion among the enemy's aircraft squadron after Yemeni air defenses intercepted the attack
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: The Yemeni air defense forces succeeded in neutralizing a squadron of enemy aircraft and prevented airstrikes on some governorates
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: Our air defenses and missile forces forced a formation of enemy aircraft to flee the airspace

M23 rebels advance toward southern Bukavu after seizing Goma

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News Websites
  • 29 Jan 2025 17:14
  • 1 Shares
3 Min Read

M23 rebels have made their way toward Bukavu, the capital of the South Kivu province, while maintaining a tight grip on its northern counterpart, Goma.

Listen
  • x
  • M23 rebels escort Romanian mercenaries to the border crossing into Rwanda in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025.(AP)
    M23 rebels escort Romanian mercenaries to the border crossing into Rwanda in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025 (AP)

Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo advanced south on Wednesday toward Bukavu, the capital of the South Kivu province, aiming to expand their control after capturing Goma.

According to diplomatic and security sources, M23 forces were moving from Minova along Lake Kivu’s western side. If successful, they would hold territory not controlled by previous rebellions since Congo’s major war ended 20 years ago. To reach Bukavu, they would need to seize Kavumu, home to the city's airport, and confront Burundian troops reinforcing Congo’s defenses.

This comes as M23 militants tightened their grip on the captured city of Goma, a key hub for displaced people, aid workers, UN peacekeepers, and Congolese forces. It is noteworthy that the North and South Kivu provinces are rich in minerals, including coltan, a material used in smartphones, making resource control a key driver of conflict.  

M23 briefly occupied Goma in 2012 but was defeated and forced to lay dormant for over a decade. Recently resurfacing, the group aims to occupy the city and exploit its valuable resources and rare minerals with the backing of thousands of Rwandan soldiers currently in Congo, United Nations experts speculated. 

Despite diplomatic efforts—such as the US expressing concern to Rwanda over Goma’s fall—signs suggest M23 is consolidating its rule in the city.

Meanwhile, isolated gunfire was heard in the lakeside city after the rebel storming on Monday, which left the bodies of victims scattered in the street, hospitals exhausted, and UN peacekeepers in their bases.

Related News

ISIS-backed AFD kill at least 21 in church bombing in eastern Congo

Rwanda exits Central African bloc over Congo dispute

Consequently, on Wednesday, Congolese government forces were absent from duty in the city center. Rwandan forces, however, were patrolling the area and breaking chains and padlocks to pave the way for vehicles and pedestrians. 

The scene, according to a Goma resident, felt like they "are in a dual nation. We are in Congo and at the same time in Rwanda."

Hired mercenaries flee 

Rebels backed by Rwanda frequently reactivate their operations in Congo, prompting the DRC to turn to private military companies to boost their defenses. However, the mercenaries barely defended Goma or its surrounding cities after the incursion intensified on Monday. 

At the border crossing between Goma and its Rwandan counterpart, Gisenyi, Reuters reporters observed dozens of muscular white men, some wearing fatigues, crossing into Rwanda. They lined up for luggage checks by police sniffer dogs and submitted to body searches by Rwandan officers.  

According to UN sources and Rwandan officials, these men were the same mercenaries hired by the Congolese government.

Several carried Romanian passports, and one confirmed to Reuters that he was Romanian and had spent about two years in Goma. After the searches, they boarded coaches and were driven away.

Read more: Western embassies in Congo attacked, accused of complicity in violence

  • DRC
  • M23 rebels
  • Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Goma
  • Rwanda

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Displaced Palestinians walk through a makeshift camp along the beach in Gaza City, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)

Hamas, other factions accept Egypt-Qatar ceasefire proposal: Exclusive

  • Politics
  • 18 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS