Human Rights Watch is expressing concern about civilians in the eastern Congolese city of Goma now that M23 rebels have taken control of the city. Fighting between M23 and Democratic Republic of the Congo forces has displaced 400,000 since the start of this year, according to the United Nations. Goma’s capture by the rebel group further threatens civilian lives and could cause more displacement, the rights group said.
Residents of Goma in eastern DR Congo shared videos Monday of M23 rebels patrolling the city, with some cheering as the fighters walked through the streets.
Blaise Karege is a Congolese political and security researcher in eastern Congo. He said the rebel group has been received well, and the reasons for the ongoing conflict have changed.
“The residents are singing in the streets, and they are behind the rebel group,” he said. “I don’t know if all of that is for the love, or fear, of M23. I cannot tell. Previous conflicts were much about politics, but today, the conflict has a more tribal dimension, too, and today, it appears M23 has a lot of support.”
The M23 rebel group launched an offensive to seize Goma several weeks ago, taking areas closest to the border with Rwanda, which is widely believed to support M23 — something the Kigali government denies.
The Congolese army and its allied militias, Wazalendo, have fled the city, according to local reports. The U.N. mission in Goma said it has received some men in Congolese uniforms and some in plain clothes who handed over their weapons.
Human Rights Watch said it’s now concerned about the safety of Goma civilians, many of whom fled to the city to escape violence and abuse from eastern Congo’s many armed groups, including M23.
Clementine de Montjoye, a senior Human Rights Watch researcher, said concerns of rights groups and NGOs for civilians are at an all-time high.
“We have documented extensively how they have executed people,” she said. “There have been cases of rapes, gang rapes, arbitrary detention, and extortion, and last night, we heard reports of looting inside Goma by the Wazalendo armed group. At the same time, M23 also has a long history of committing abuses against civilian populations, and since the resurgence of M23 … we have documented how they have executed people they accuse of supporting the Congolese army or Congolese government.”
M23 says it is fighting to protect communities who have faced abuse and attacks from the Congolese army and other militia groups.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has called on M23 to end hostilities and withdraw from occupied territories in eastern Congo.
Karege said the group won’t be vacating the city that easily.
“Today, they say they are not going to leave the city because they are protecting their parents and children,” he said. “But this is going to give them a certificate to speak and engage with the government in Kinshasa so that they can resolve this issue without conflict. Leaving Goma, Masisi, and Ruchuru won’t happen,” he said, referring to other population centers in the region.
M23 first captured Goma in 2012 but agreed to leave after signing a peace agreement with the Congolese government.
The fighters launched a new offensive in 2021, accusing the Congolese government of failing to honor the peace agreement from eight years before. The government in Kinshasa insists the group must disarm before any negotiations can take place.
