Latest news with #M23-held
Business Insider
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Insider
Uganda backs down, resumes border trade with conflict-hit eastern DRC
Uganda has reopened its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), six months after closing key crossings due to advances by the M23 rebel group. The affected border points, Bunagana and Ishasha, are located in North Kivu province and were shut down following the group's seizure of Goma. Uganda has reopened its borders with the DRC, following a six-month closure due to the M23 rebel group's advances. The closure impacted key border points, notably Bunagana and Ishasha, to curb the rebel group's incursions. The decision coincides with a peace agreement signed in Washington to address conflicts involving the M23 group. Ugandan military assistant Chris Magezi confirmed the reopening on social media, stating that the move was made under direct orders from President Yoweri Museveni. He added that those responsible for the initial closure and for disrupting trade between the two communities will be investigated. The reopening comes shortly after the signing of a peace agreement in Washington, where Rwanda and the DRC committed to supporting future talks between the M23 rebels and the Congolese army. The M23 group, composed largely of ethnic Tutsis, resumed its offensive in late 2021. Fighting has intensified since then, with the group capturing large areas of eastern Congo, including Goma. Thousands of civilians have been forced to flee, including from camps near Kibumba, about 40 kilometers north of Goma. The Congolese government has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 with weapons and troops. These accusations have been supported by the United States, citing credible intelligence reports. Rwanda has denied involvement with the rebel group. Uganda–Congo Border Closures Uganda has closed its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) twice due to threats from the M23 rebel group. The first closure occurred in July 2012 after M23 launched an offensive in eastern DRC, prompting Uganda to shut the Bunagana crossing for security reasons. The border later reopened as tensions eased. In January 2024, Uganda again closed the Bunagana and Ishasha crossings after renewed M23 advances near Goma. The six-month closure ended in July 2025, following a lull in fighting and pressure to resume cross-border trade. Uganda reopens additional border points in M23-held areas Additional border points, including Busanza, have also been reopened, according to Ugandan military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Felix Kulayigye. He confirmed that the directive was implemented as instructed by President Museveni to restore the movement of goods and people between the two countries. Uganda had initially closed the posts following the M23's capture of Goma, but also in protest after the rebels reportedly blocked Ugandan cargo trucks from entering eastern Congo.
TimesLIVE
02-07-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Rwanda exercises command and control over M23 rebels: UN experts
Armed rebels in violation of embargo, says report By Rwanda has exercised command and control over M23 rebels during their advance in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), gaining political influence and access to mineral-rich territory, according to a confidential report by a group of UN experts. The report obtained by Reuters details training which the experts say Rwanda has provided to M23 recruits and military equipment they say Rwanda has deployed — notably "high-tech systems capable of neutralising air assets" — to give the rebels "a decisive tactical advantage" over DRC's beleaguered army. The report was submitted to the UN Security Council sanctions committee for DRC in early May and is due to be published shortly, said diplomats. M23 has advanced in eastern DRC, seizing the region's two largest cities, Goma and Bukavu in January and February. DRC, the UN and Western powers say Rwanda is supporting M23 by sending troops and arms. Rwanda has long denied helping M23 and says its forces are acting in self-defence against DRC's army and ethnic Hutu militiamen linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The report by the UN experts said Rwanda's military support for M23 was not "primarily" aimed at addressing threats posed by the FDLR, asserting that Kigali was instead focused on "conquering additional territories". Rwanda's UN mission and a government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report. US President Donald Trump's administration is trying to broker a peace deal between Rwanda and DRC that would bring billions of dollars of Western investment to a region rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, lithium and other minerals. On Friday the Rwandan and DRC foreign ministers signed a peace deal in Washington and met with Trump, who warned of "very severe penalties, financial and otherwise" if the deal is violated. Qatar is hosting a parallel mediation effort with delegations from the Congolese government and M23. The UN report said Rwanda has hosted leaders of a rebel coalition that includes M23 at its Gabiro Training Centre and also used military centres in Nasho and Gako to train M23 recruits. Rwanda also "drastically increased" the number of Rwandan troops in eastern DRC ahead of M23's advance, according to the experts, who offered "a conservative estimate of 6,000" Rwandan troops active in DRC's North and South Kivu provinces. The UN experts also accused Rwanda of "flagrant and systematic violations" of an arms embargo, and said a likely missile attack in January on an armoured personnel carrier carrying U.N. peacekeepers — killing one and injuring four others — appeared to have been fired from a Rwandan military position. An estimated 1,000 to 1,500 Rwandan troops were still active in M23-held territory when the report was drafted, and "several thousand" remained along the border ready to deploy, said the report, which covers investigations conducted up to April 20. M23's military gains earlier this year spurred fears of a wider regional war drawing in DRC's neighbours, and also fuelled anxiety over the fate of President Felix Tshisekedi's government. In March M23 travelled as far west as Walikale, an area rich in minerals including tin, putting the rebels within 400km of Kisangani, DRC's fourth-biggest city. The following month, however, M23 withdrew from Walikale, a decision the experts said was "taken following direct instruction from the Government of Rwanda, once again confirming Rwanda's command and control" over rebel operations. "This included strategic-level decision-making on whether to seize, hold, or relinquish territory, thereby demonstrating overall operational coordination and hierarchical subordination," the report said. The experts also accused DRC of relying on the FDLR and pro-government militia fighters known as Wazalendo, offering them money and logistics in violation of a sanctions regime. A DRC government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Star
06-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Students in rebel-held eastern Congo brave insecurity to take exams
FILE PHOTO: Students return home from classes at the Mama Mulezi school complex, after M23 rebels announced the reopening of schools and universities, in Goma, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, February 11, 2025. REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi/File Photo BUKAVU, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) -Tens of thousands of secondary school students sat for state exams in rebel-held eastern Congo this week, a complicated logistical feat requiring rare cooperation between the government and M23 rebels. The Rwanda-backed insurgents seized eastern Congo's two largest cities in an offensive earlier this year and are now trying to show they can govern. African leaders along with Washington and Doha are meanwhile trying to broker a peace deal that would put an end to a conflict with roots in the Rwandan genocide more than three decades ago. The state exams, administered across the sprawling central African country for students hoping to go to university, began on Monday and will continue through mid-June. Administering them throughout the east of Democratic Republic of Congo required having education officials personally escort documents and other materials from the capital Kinshasa into M23-held cities and towns. "We were among those who went to Kinshasa to collect the items," said Jean-Marie Mwayesi, an education official in South Kivu province, where M23 claims considerable territory. "Thanks to the combined efforts of our teams and partners, all 111 centres we cover have been served." President Felix Tshisekedi's government announced last month it was waiving exam fees - which normally exceed $40 - for students in North and South Kivu provinces, citing insecurity. While M23 has previously said it seeks the ouster of Tshisekedi's government, the group's leader Bertrand Bisimwa told Reuters that it still recognised Kinshasa as the administrator of national exams. "Our presence in the eastern part of our country does not make this a separate country," Bisimwa said. "The education of our children is apolitical. It must be protected against any political divergence because we all work for the interest and well-being of our children." Human rights groups have repeatedly accused M23 of executing civilians including children - allegations the group has denied. Exauce Katete was among the students who sat for exams at a school in the South Kivu regional capital Bukavu, which fell under M23 control in February and where insecurity including vigilante violence has increased since then. "Yes, security is there. I can still see a few people outside, responsible for keeping us safe. There are no disturbances, no noise, everything is going well," Katete said, referring to plainclothes officers positioned by M23 outside the school. Mwayesi, the local education official, said that of 44,000 students who registered in his zone, nearly 42,000 showed up, speculating that the remainder may have been displaced by fighting. (Reporting by Congo newsroom; additional reporting by Sonia Rolley; writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet; editing by Mark Heinrich)
Straits Times
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Students in rebel-held eastern Congo brave insecurity to take exams
FILE PHOTO: Members of the M23 rebel group mount their vehicles after the opening ceremony of Caisse Generale d'epargne du Congo in Goma, North Kivu province in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo, April 7, 2025. REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Students return home from classes at the Mama Mulezi school complex, after M23 rebels announced the reopening of schools and universities, in Goma, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, February 11, 2025. REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi/File Photo BUKAVU, Democratic Republic of Congo - Tens of thousands of secondary school students sat for state exams in rebel-held eastern Congo this week, a complicated logistical feat requiring rare cooperation between the government and M23 rebels. The Rwanda-backed insurgents seized eastern Congo's two largest cities in an offensive earlier this year and are now trying to show they can govern. African leaders along with Washington and Doha are meanwhile trying to broker a peace deal that would put an end to a conflict with roots in the Rwandan genocide more than three decades ago. The state exams, administered across the sprawling central African country for students hoping to go to university, began on Monday and will continue through mid-June. Administering them throughout the east of Democratic Republic of Congo required having education officials personally escort documents and other materials from the capital Kinshasa into M23-held cities and towns. "We were among those who went to Kinshasa to collect the items," said Jean-Marie Mwayesi, an education official in South Kivu province, where M23 claims considerable territory. "Thanks to the combined efforts of our teams and partners, all 111 centres we cover have been served." President Felix Tshisekedi's government announced last month it was waiving exam fees - which normally exceed $40 - for students in North and South Kivu provinces, citing insecurity. While M23 has previously said it seeks the ouster of Tshisekedi's government, the group's leader Bertrand Bisimwa told Reuters that it still recognised Kinshasa as the administrator of national exams. "Our presence in the eastern part of our country does not make this a separate country," Bisimwa said. "The education of our children is apolitical. It must be protected against any political divergence because we all work for the interest and well-being of our children." Human rights groups have repeatedly accused M23 of executing civilians including children - allegations the group has denied. Exauce Katete was among the students who sat for exams at a school in the South Kivu regional capital Bukavu, which fell under M23 control in February and where insecurity including vigilante violence has increased since then. "Yes, security is there. I can still see a few people outside, responsible for keeping us safe. There are no disturbances, no noise, everything is going well," Katete said, referring to plainclothes officers positioned by M23 outside the school. Mwayesi, the local education official, said that of 44,000 students who registered in his zone, nearly 42,000 showed up, speculating that the remainder may have been displaced by fighting. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ex-DR Congo president returns to country, party says
Former Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila is back in the country for the first time in two years having arrived in the M23-held eastern city of Goma, two spokespeople from the rebel group as well as a youth leader from his party have said. Kabila's arrival comes after senators stripped him of his immunity over alleged support for the Rwanda-backed M23 which has been fighting the Congolese army. Kabila, who has previously denied a link with the rebel group, recently decried the justice system for permitting itself to being "exploited for political end". The 53-year-old led DR Congo for 18 years, after succeeding his father Laurent, who was shot dead in 2001. Speaking to the BBC, a Goma youth leader for Kabila's People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), confirmed earlier reports from the M23 that Kabila had returned and stated that residents were "happy" about his arrival. "Kabila should be allowed full access to the country. For us it is like a father has returned to his children," Innocent Mirimo told BBC Swahili. Last month, the PPRD was banned because of its "ambiguous attitude" to the occupation of Congolese territory by the M23. In a message on X, rebel spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka welcomed Kabila to Goma saying: "We wish him a pleasant stay in the liberated areas." A similar message was shared by another spokesperson, Willy Ngoma. The Congolese authorities, who accuse Kabila of war crimes and treason, say there is a "substantial body of documents, testimony and material facts" that link the former leader to the M23. In a now-deleted YouTube video released on Friday, Kabila called the Congolese government, led by President Félix Tshisekedi a "dictatorship", and stated there was a "decline of democracy" in the country. He also outlined his plan to end decades of instability in the country. Congolese government spokesperson, Patrick Muyaya, has rejected Kabila's remarks, telling Congolese TV channel RTNC TV that Kabila "has nothing to offer the country". Fighting between the Congolese army and the M23 first broke out in 2012 and ended in a peace deal the following year. But in 2021 the group took up arms again, saying the promises made in the deal had been broken. Since the beginning of this year, the M23 has made major advances in the mineral-rich east, including taking the key city of Goma in January. The group, which Rwanda has denied backing, says its goal is to protect the minority Tutsi-ethnic group. However, the ongoing conflict has led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians who have been forced to flee their homes in the last few months. Kabila, who stepped down as DR Congo's president in 2019, was once an ally of President Tshisekedi. However the two men fell out, culminating in the termination of their parties' coalition in December 2020. The former president has been living outside the country, in South Africa, for the past two years. But at the beginning of last month he said he would be returning to help find a solution to the conflict in the east. What's the fighting in DR Congo all about? The evidence that shows Rwanda is backing rebels in DR Congo 'We would vote for peace - if we had a vote' Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Africa Daily Focus on Africa
