 "As M23 rebels advance, Congo accuses Rwanda of 'declaration of war' and calls for UN sanctions")
The Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday (December 26) accused Rwanda of violating its sovereignty by crossing into Congolese territory, calling the incursion a “declaration of war” and urging the UN Security Council to impose sanctions.
Congolese Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner urged the Security Council to impose sanctions, including asset freezes and travel bans, on Rwandan military leaders and political decision-makers responsible for the aggression.
“This is a frontal assault, a declaration of war that no longer hides behind diplomatic artifice,” she told an emergency Security Council meeting.
M23, Rwandan forces’ assault in DRC
Rwandan-backed M23 rebels, accompanied by Rwandan forces, advanced on Goma, a regional hub for security and humanitarian operations, this week.
Heavy detonations echoed in the city centre on Sunday morning (local time), and later in the day, a Rwandan drone reportedly struck a Congolese army position six kilometers (four miles) north of the city.
Rwanda denies supporting M23 rebels– that have controlled large swathes of North Kivu since 2021– but acknowledged in 2024 that it had troops in eastern Congo to safeguard its security. UN experts estimate that up to 4,000 Rwandan forces are operating in the region.
The failure of peace talks between Kagame and Tshisekedi in December last year are understood to have fuelled tensions in conflict-hit region. This also enabled M23 fighters and Rwandan troops to rapidly advance toward Goma, a city of over one million people.
Global leaders’ reactions
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Rwandan forces to withdraw from Congo and to end their support for M23 fighters. “The secretary-general reiterates his strongest condemnation of the M23 armed group’s ongoing offensive and advances towards Goma,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
Impact Shorts
View AllThe escalation has drawn widespread condemnation from world leaders. French President Emmanuel Macron called for an “immediate end” to the fighting and urged M23 forces to withdraw. He held separate talks with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy expressed concern over the violence in Goma, which has caused mass civilian displacements and casualties. In a call with Kagame, Lammy urged a return to peace negotiations and de-escalation.
In the first official remarks on the crisis under the new US administration of Donald Trump, interim UN ambassador Dorothy Shea said the United States “will consider all the tools at its disposal in order to hold accountable those responsible for sustaining armed conflict, instability and insecurity in the DRC.”
The African Union Commission’s chair, Moussa Faki Mahamat, called for “the immediate cessation of all hostilities” and stressed the need to protect civilian lives.
With inputs from agencies
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