Rwanda-Backed M23 Rebels Seize Key Cities in Eastern Congo, Escalating Regional Tensions
The fall of Bukavu and Goma to M23 rebels raises fears of a wider regional conflict as Congo's army retreats and international response remains muted.
- The M23 rebel group, supported by Rwanda, has captured the strategic cities of Goma and Bukavu in eastern Congo within weeks, marking their most significant territorial gains in over a decade.
- The conflict has displaced over 700,000 people since January 2025, worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis in a region with millions previously uprooted by violence.
- Congo's military retreated from Bukavu to avoid urban combat, but clashes erupted between retreating soldiers and allied militias, deepening chaos in the region.
- International pressure on Rwanda has been limited, with Western countries hesitant to act decisively due to geopolitical interests and past failures to address the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
- The escalating violence risks drawing neighboring countries like Uganda and Burundi into a broader regional conflict, reminiscent of Congo's devastating wars in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
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