Congo's army and Burundian allies slow M23 rebel's southern march

Fighting intensified in eastern Congo on Friday as the army and its allies, including Burundian troops, resisted an advance by M23 rebels pushing south toward Bukavu, officials said.

The latest clashes follow M23’s capture of Goma, a major city in mineral-rich eastern Congo, earlier this week. The rebel offensive along the western shores of Lake Kivu has been checked in recent days, South Kivu Governor Jean Jacques Purusi said.

Members of the M23 rebel group patrol the streets, amid clashes between M23 rebels and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), in Goma, North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, January 30, 2025. Reuters

A source with direct knowledge of the situation, declining to be named for security reasons, said a force of about 1,500—including Congolese troops, local militias, and Burundians—has deployed to defend Nyabibwe, a town on the road to Bukavu.

Rising regional tensions

Relations between Rwanda and Burundi are already strained. Clashes between their forces inside Congo could escalate the conflict into a wider regional war, a growing concern for the United Nations.

M23 spokesman Willy Nangaa said the rebels have been fighting Burundian troops for weeks in defense of Goma and other cities.

An African diplomat described the situation as alarming.

“The risk of regionalization of the conflict is real,” the diplomat said. “The Rwandan, Congolese, and Burundian armies are already clashing. The capture of Goma was a wake-up call for the international community.”

Burundi’s military has not commented on the latest developments, though a Burundian official said his country had responded to multiple requests from Congo to support its army.

“Our country has also paid a heavy price, which is why we have asked our two neighbors to sign a ceasefire and negotiate,” the official said.

Civilians mobilize for defense

Authorities in Bukavu are calling on civilian volunteers to help defend the city, seen as a likely target for the rebels.

“If this is how they want war, then may God forgive us, but we will fight,” Albert Kahasha, a former rebel and ex-army officer, told a rally Thursday to recruit volunteer fighters.

Congolese volunteers and former rebels gather in a rally to mobilise against the possible M23 rebels invasion in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo January 30, 2025. Reuters

Sources said fighting around Mukwinja, about 43 miles north of Bukavu, was slowing the rebel advance early Friday.

The United Nations estimates that several thousand Burundian troops are present in eastern Congo to support the Congolese army. Rwanda told the U.N. Security Council on Sunday that 10,000 Burundian troops were deployed there.

The absence of U.N. peacekeepers in South Kivu has heightened concerns of escalating violence. The U.N. reported Thursday that Rwandan forces had crossed into Congo and were moving toward Bukavu. Rwanda has not commented on the claim.

Tutsi and Hutu tribal issue

M23 says it is defending Congo’s ethnic Tutsi population from Rwandan Hutu militias linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The Congolese government calls the rebels a “terrorist proxy of Rwanda” intent on plundering Congo’s vast mineral wealth.

The city of Bukavu last fell to rebels in 2004 when Tutsi-led forces rejected integration into the national army. Rights groups accused them of widespread killings and rape.

Congolese potential recruits for the M23 rebel group react in trucks before being taken to training centres run by M23 rebels, amid clashes between M23 rebels and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), in Goma, North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, January 30, 2025.Reuters

At a packed stadium rally Thursday, Bukavu residents chanted, “Free Goma,” vowing to prevent another rebel occupation.

“You know, it’s been 30 years that we’ve been victims of war and done nothing. But today, the youth are standing up,” said Fiacre Kalugusha, a resident.

Residents have begun stockpiling food and other essentials or fleeing toward the Burundian border.

“Sometimes gunshots ring out in the city, and this also contributes to reinforcing the psychosis,” said Helene, a Bukavu resident. “We feel surrounded by M23, and it is scary.