DR Congo Calls on UN Security Council to Act Against Rwanda as M23 Attacks in Goma Kill Over 100

The Democratic Republic of Congo is demanding immediate action against Rwanda over the ongoing crisis in the eastern part of the country. The United Nations Security Council held its second meeting in three days on Tuesday to discuss the escalating situation in Goma, where fighting has intensified between Congolese forces and M23 rebels allegedly backed by Rwanda.

While addressing the Council, DR Congo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, stated that Rwanda must not be allowed to act “with impunity.”

Millions have been displaced. Thousands are trapped in the besieged city of Goma with restricted access to food, water, electricity, and security. Countless lives have been lost.

We demand five immediate actions, very actionable and very precise. Firstly, the unconditional withdrawal of foreign troops from sovereign Congolese territory, she stated.

She called for sanctions against the Rwandan Defence Force and the suspension of Rwanda as a contributor to UN peacekeeping missions. The Congolese government also wants an embargo on Rwanda’s illegal exploitation and exportation of mineral resources from DR Congo.

The M23 rebels claimed to have taken control of Goma on Monday, though the extent of their control remains unclear. Thousands of people have fled the city, and hospitals are overwhelmed with casualties.

On Tuesday, protests broke out in Kinshasa, the capital of DR Congo. Demonstrators attacked foreign embassies, voicing their anger at what they saw as a lack of international intervention.

The fighting in Goma is intensifying. Some sources say more than 1,200 Congolese soldiers have surrendered to the UN peacekeeping mission. Clashes between the DRC’s army and the M23 fighters have reportedly killed over 100 people in Goma. This toll comes from hospital reports in the city following three days of fighting.

The United States has urged the Security Council to take more decisive action to halt the fighting. President Félix Tshisekedi of DR Congo is set to meet Rwandan President Paul Kagame for talks in Nairobi, Kenya, on Wednesday.

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