Escalating Humanitarian Crisis in the DRC: Rwandan-backed M23 Rebels Seize Goma, Thousands Killed and Displaced
On January 26th, the humanitarian crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) escalated, when the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels reached Goma, an important city in the South Kivu region. By the following day, January 27, the rebels had declared full control over the city after intense fighting left more than 3,000 people dead, over 2,800 injured, and tens of thousands displaced. Whilst the active fighting over the city has stopped and the M23 rebels announced a unilateral peace deal, the civilian population continues to face dreadful conditions. Refugee camps are overflowing, critical infrastructure has been looted and/or destroyed, food supplies are scarce and youths are forcibly recruited for the Congolese army. Put shortly, the already dire conditions have been exacerbated and the humanitarian crisis risks pushing eastern DRC into a spiral of destruction, death and chaos. The pain and harm caused by the attack was undeniable. Thousands of Congolese were killed, and more than 480 000 have fled in the aftermath of the M23’s offensive in Goma. Shockingly, due to the large number of civilian and military fatalities, the supply of body bags was not enough. Thus, as humanitarian aid workers are still busy putting all of the victims to rest, the need for mass graves disturbingly grows, which lets the fear and despair of Congolese citizens spiral.

Decrying Goma’s Agony
An injured woman shared her emotions with the New Humanitarian by articulating that “it is terror and panic to live like this constantly” while another Goma resident shared that her “heart was pounding as if it would burst out of my chest” when leaving her home right after the attack on January 26th. She added that “people were dying, people were being eliminated”, fearing for her own life. But not only the fear of death has been shattering the lives of millions, but also the threat in sexual assault, including rape. Shortly after the M23’s seizure of Goma, the city’s prison broke down and hundreds of prisoners were able to flee. Hours later over 150 women reported of having been raped as part of the prisoner’s escape, which is extremely concerning and alarming. Eric Batonon, Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) country director in the Democratic Republic of Congo further highlights the disastrous effect of the war on the civilian population, stating that “the impact of the recent escalation across eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has been devastating for the civilian population”, highlighting that “whole generations in eastern DRC have known nothing but conflict, and their needs have been utterly neglected”. Such bitter observations have been confirmed by various reports of other organizations such as the UN, too. In the DRC, refugee camps are overcrowded and unsafe, access to health care is almost non-existent, overall critical infrastructure shut down and despite urgent calls from civil society actors to end the crisis, the Congolese president Félix Tshisekedi seems to opt for a power battle, aiming to reclaim Goma, rather than initiating urgently needed peace talks with the M23 rebels. Consequently, a Goma resident reminded the Congolese government to “look at the way the population is suffering; look at the way the population is dying. You must start negotiating”. Additionally, the humanitarian aid that many Congolese depend on has been insufficient, as food flows have been inconsistent since the attack and prices have spiked up, hanging the basic needs of millions of people out to dry. Put shortly, the humanitarian aid efforts of the international community are substantially lacking, pushing the conflict to the brink of being forgotten. Now, with over 5.6 million internally displaced people, 4 million of which alone originally fled from the eastern provinces of Uturi as well as North and South Kivu and the M23 announcing that they will “march on the capital city, Kinshasa”, the escalating war simply cannot be neglected.

Regional and International Dynamics
International support is indisputably necessary. However, the complexities of the war with various regional actors being heavily involved in backing either the Congolese government or the Rwandan-backed M23, seem to halt meaningful and rapid action. But considering the DRC’s history, where Rwanda-backed rebellions in the 1990s escalated into a multi-country war, the risk of history repeating itself cannot be ignored. Alarmingly, the conflict has persisted for over three years since the Rwandan-backed M23 troops, primarily composed of Congolese Tutsis, declared their fight against the Congolese government, amongst apparent violations of a peace agreement and concerns over racial discrimination. However, whilst acknowledging the painful past of the systematic persecution and perpetrated genocide directed against ethnic Tutsis, various regional as well as international actors have articulated their doubts behind the M23’s reasons to expand their militant operation in the DRC as means of protection and self-defense. Instead, various actors suggest that Rwanda, which strong-armed the M23 rebels since the outbreak of the war, aims to expand its economic and political influence in the DRC, to gain access to the mineral-rich country. However, Rwanda’s President Kagame has formally distanced himself from these allegations, claiming to only provide financial and military resources to the M23 as means of self-defense, aiming to protect the Tutsi ethnic group from the Congolese government. Also, Kagame, who has been in power since the Rwandan genocide, further repudiates that Rwanda holds any responsibility for the outbreak of the war. The Rwandan ambassador James Ngango further highlights that Rwanda “categorically oppose(s) the DRC’s attempts to portray Rwanda as being responsible for its instability in the eastern DRC”, instead, according to Ngango, Rwanda itself is at risk of being attacked. Although interestingly, UN reports have surfaced that found illegal smuggling activities of Congolese raw material conducted by Rwandan officials, directly contradicting the Rwandan government’s claim that its military engagement in the DRC is solely for the aim of self defense. Therefore, Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi’s claim that Rwanda pursues “looting the country’s mineral wealth” seems to be somewhat valid. But Tshisekedi also believes that his political survival is at risk, suggesting that Rwanda aims for political control over the region, with the intent of “orchestrating regime change” in the DRC. But it is noteworthy that Rwanda is not the only regional actor that is involved in the conflict, countries such as Burundi and South Africa have positioned themselves, too, nevertheless in a more indirect manner. Burundi, which borders both DRC and Rwanda, backs the Congolese military against the M23 rebels as diplomatic relations between Burundi and Rwanda have been tense for years because of the Hutu-led government present in Burundi. Now, in the light of the most recent escalation of the conflict, Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye warned Rwanda that the current war “will spread” if Rwanda does not stop attempting to conquer more territory in the region. Similarly, South Africa supports the DRC’s army and thus heavily criticises Rwanda’s involvement in the DRC. Interestingly, the growing tensions between Rwanda and South Africa further reflect growing tensions between the members of the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (Sadc). Whilst the EAC supports Rwanda’s apparent aim to initiate talks between the M23 and Kinshasa, the Sadc has reiterated their commitment for the DRC’s autonomy, territorial integrity and sovereignty. For now, to somehow find a way to end the suffering and pain this war has caused, Congolese president Tshisekedi and Rwandan head of state Kagame have been attending peace mediation talks in Tanzania, however neither side seems to prefer a diplomatic solution over the war as Tshisekedi vows to reclaim Goma while Kagame is firm on his continuous support of the M23 rebels.
Goma, Marching Towards Peace
Now, it becomes crucial that the international community steps in – for example by cutting economic and diplomatic ties with Rwanda, to increase the pressure on Kagame and aim for an ending of the human rights violations perpetrated on Congolese territory. Of course, such sanctions should ultimately aim for increasing the possibility of a long-lasting ceasefire that allows the civilian population to live without the horror, violence and destruction anymore. Simultaneously, no matter the effectiveness of such sanctions, we, as humans, have to be aware of our privilege of living outside the realm of war and thus contribute to the war not getting forgotten. Thus, we need to converse about it, advocating for a peacefire with anyone – friends, family, loved ones, at work or university. The war cannot and should not be forgotten – and it is our responsibility to create the political discourse that draws attention to the escalating crisis in eastern DRC. Only with sufficient political pressure the actors involved will prioritize the human lives at stake over the power struggle. Thus, the time to act is now.