Tuesday, February 18, 2025

M23 rebels advancing towards major city in eastern Congo: UN

Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, is home to hundreds of thousands.

• February 1, 2025
Rebels in DR Congo
Rebels in DR Congo [Credit: VOA Africa]

The M23 rebel group is advancing towards another major city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, a leading UN official said on Friday.

Days after taking the key city of Goma, the Rwandan-backed fighters are about 60 kilometres north of Bukavu, said UN peacekeeping expert Jean-Pierre Lacroix.

Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, is home to hundreds of thousands.

M23 rebels are also moving towards a major airport north of the city, which would be a significant step, Lacroix said.

A spokesman said the United Nations is moving staff out of Bukavu as a precautionary measure.

M23 is one of more than 100 armed groups in resource-rich eastern Congo and has conflicted with government troops for years.

M23 leader Corneille Nangaa said Thursday that the group is “in Goma to stay” and announced a march on the capital, Kinshasa, to overthrow President Félix Tshisekedi.

While Rwanda denies backing the rebels, the UN has repeatedly called on Kigali to withdraw its forces from Congo and end its support for M23.

The global body said at least 700 people have been killed in the latest clashes since Sunday.

The fighting also left 2,800 people injured and the numbers are expected to rise as more information emerges, UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said late on Friday.

The worsening conflict in eastern Congo is causing a human rights crisis, the UN human rights office warned earlier on Friday, amid reports of an escalation of sexual violence.

The Geneva-based agency–formally known as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights– said it received reports from the provincial capital Goma and combat zones in the neighbouring province of South Kivu of mass rape.

“We are verifying reports that 52 women were raped by Congolese troops in South Kivu, including alleged reports of gang rape,” the office said in a statement, noting that such violence was nothing new.

“Conflict-related sexual violence has been an appalling feature of armed conflict in eastern DRC for decades,” the OHCHR said.

Fighting has intensified in the region in recent days since the M23 rebel group claimed control of Goma on Lake Kivu.

In the territories it has captured, M23 has “occupied schools and hospitals,” driven out displaced residents, and “subjected the civilian population to forced conscription and forced labour,” the UN said.

(dpa/NAN) 

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

Abubakar Kyari

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

President Bola Tinubu (Credit: Presidency)

NationWide

Tinubu pledges stronger commitment to environmental protection

Mr Tinubu noted that the government alone cannot address environmental challenges.

Health

Lawmaker restates FG’s commitment to quality healthcare delivery

The lawmaker affirmed the House of Representatives’ commitment to quality health through legislation and oversight.

NNPC and House of Representatives

NationWide

Reps summon NNPC over environmental degradation

Rep. Julius Pondi, the committee chairman, said the invite followed the inability of NNPC Eighteen Operating Ltd to appear on February 18.

Lagos-Ibadan Expressway under construction

States

FG to revive abandoned projects in Adamawa

The governor decried the poor state of federal roads in Adamawa, describing them as “death traps” riddled with potholes.

FCTA

Abuja

N100 billion spent on school renovation, construction of new ones in 2023 till date: FCTA

Mr Wike in March 2024 inaugurated the rehabilitation and construction of new secondary schools across the FCT.

Photo of a teacher teaching students used to illustrate this story

Education

Bauchi govt warns teachers against laxity, absenteeism

The Commissioner for Education, Muhammed Lawal, said this during a school inspection exercise on Tuesday in Bauchi.