African Union demands halt to fighting in eastern DR Congo
People look at military uniforms and equipment abandoned in the streets of Goma amid conflict between M23 rebels and the Congolese army in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Jan. 29, 2025.
NAIROBI, KENYA —
The African Union and other regional bodies on late Tuesday called for an immediate halt to fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The M23 rebel group seized control of eastern Congo’s largest city, Goma, on Monday.
According to some residents who spoke to VOA, Goma is calm after two days of heavy fighting. Residents who ventured out Wednesday saw bodies on the streets, some in military uniforms and others in civilian clothes.
The regional bodies called for M23 to withdraw from the city, a move security experts say will be difficult for the rebel group to accept.
In photos: Conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo
1/20Armed men drive through a street in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Jan. 28, 2025. Gunshots rang out through parts of the besieged city of Goma as Congolese soldiers clashed with militia fighters backed by Rwandan troops.
2/20Congolese refugees fleeing ongoing clashes in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo arrive at the Rugerero transit camp in Gisenyi, Rwanda, Jan. 28, 2025. An estimated 1,200 Congolese refugees have been officially received by Rwanda, an official told AFP as armed forces entered the city of Goma just across the border.
3/20People attack the Rwanda Embassy in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jan. 28, 2025, in protest over the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels' advances into the eastern capital Goma.
4/20Protesters clash with riot police forces in front of the French Embassy in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Jan. 28, 2025.
5/20People protest in Kinshasa, Jan. 28, 2025, against the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels' advances into eastern Congo's capital Goma.
6/20Residents look at the bodies of Congolese soldiers killed in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Jan. 28, 2025. Intense fighting has left bodies in the streets and overwhelmed hospitals in the besieged city of Goma, the United Nations said, as protesters furious about international inaction attacked embassies in the country's capital.
7/20People protest in Kinshasa, Jan. 28, 2025, against the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels' advances into eastern Congo's capital Goma.
8/20United Nations truck drivers and Congolese civilians who fled from Goma, undergo security screening at the border-post in Gisenyi, Rubavu district, Rwanda, Jan. 28, 2025.
9/20A Congolese woman carries her child fleeing from Goma, arrive at a reception center in Rugerero near Gisenyi, in Rubavu district, Rwanda, Jan. 28, 2025.
10/20Congolese civilians who fled from Goma, arrive at a reception center in Rugerero near Gisenyi, in Rubavu district, Rwanda, Jan. 28, 2025.
11/20Congolese civilians who fled from Goma, wash their feet after arriving at a reception center in Rugerero near Gisenyi, in Rubavu district, Rwanda, Jan. 28, 2025.
12/20Congolese civilians who fled from Goma, gather at a reception center in Rugerero near Gisenyi, in Rubavu district, Rwanda, Jan. 28, 2025.
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Members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), who surrendered from Goma, gather at the Vision Jeunesse Nouvelle Cultural Centre in Gisenyi, Rwanda, Jan. 28, 2025.
14/20A member of the M23 armed group walks alongside residents through a street of the Keshero neighborhood in Goma, on Jan. 27, 2025.
15/20Residents run off after observing members of the M23 armed group walking through a street of the Keshero neighborhood in Goma, Jan. 27, 2025. The besieged city of Goma was rocked by heavy artillery fire as France warned the regional capital was on the brink of falling to militia fighters and Rwandan troops. The M23 armed group and Rwandan soldiers entered Goma's centre on the night of Jan. 26, 2025 after weeks of advancing on the main city in the mineral-rich North Kivu province.
16/20People displaced by the fighting with M23 rebels make their way to the center of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jan. 26, 2025.
17/20Residents flee from Kibati, where fighting has intensified, towards the city of Goma, Jan. 26, 2025. The M23 armed group has seized further territory in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo and was continuing to tighten its grip on provincial capital Goma, which is almost surrounded by fighting.
18/20A U.N. armored personnel carrier burns during clashes with M23 rebels outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jan. 25, 2025.
19/20U.N. armored personnel carriers deploy outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jan. 25, 2025.
20/20Soldiers of the Armed forces of the Democratic republic of Congo (FARDC) advance towards Sake, 25km north west of Goma, Jan. 23, 2025. The Congolese army is fighting to halt the advance of the M23 towards Goma, a city in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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The East African Community bloc has called for a summit to address the tension between the DRC and Rwanda, which Kinshasa accuses of backing M23. Rwandan authorities deny the charge. According to Congolese state media, President Felix Tshisekedi will not attend the talks.
Meanwhile, calm returned to Kinshasa on Wednesday, a day after angry protesters attacked the embassies of Belgium, France, Kenya and Uganda as well as Rwanda. The protesters accused the other countries of supporting Rwanda.
The embassies either condemned or expressed deep concern over the attacks.
The United States closed its embassy in Kinshasa to the public on Tuesday and called on its citizens to review their safety and travel plans. On Wednesday it advised Americans not to travel to the DRC.
Chacha Nyaigotti-Chacha, a Kenyan expert in international relations and diplomacy, said he does not think the protests will affect the DRC’s relations with the affected countries.
In regard to the fighting in the east, the DRC’s government needs to address and solve its internal problems, said Chrispin Mvano, a Congolese political and security researcher in Goma.
"The conflict in DR Congo isn't just about disputes with other countries,” Mvano said. “It also stems from internal divisions among the Congolese people. Even as talks continue in Nairobi, lasting stability depends on resolving these internal issues. If Congolese leaders and communities don't engage in dialogue and address their differences in Kinshasa, the peace talks alone are unlikely to bring real stability."
The DRC is home to over 100 armed groups, many fighting for control of resources and mining areas. In the latest conflict, the Congolese army and the allied Wazalendo militia retreated from the city, with some soldiers surrendering at the U.N. peacekeeping base in Goma.
Great Lakes region security analyst Dismas Nkunda said Kinshasa needs to build a strong army to confront rebels.
"M23, they are very well-equipped. ... If the DRC government does not up its game, then it's going to be very difficult for them to be able to maintain [a] semblance of peace when they have well-armed and well-supported armed groups like M23," Nkunda said.
Congolese Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwama Wagner said in an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday that more than half a million people in eastern Congo were displaced this month and that the humanitarian situation there is getting worse.
