The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has announced it is severing diplomatic relations with Rwanda amid escalating conflict in the eastern part of the country, where the M23 armed group has made significant territorial gains, Al Jazeera reports.
The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting Sunday, a day earlier than planned, in response to the intensifying fighting between the Congolese army and the M23 rebels.
The M23, a group that broke away from the DRC army over a decade ago, has seen a resurgence in the past three years, rapidly gaining ground in the mineral-rich eastern region. This month has witnessed a significant escalation, with the rebels seizing control of more territory and threatening to encircle the city of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province and home to approximately two million people.
The Congolese military and UN peacekeepers are battling to halt the M23 advance on Goma, a vital regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts. DRC army spokesman General Sylvain Ekenge accused Rwanda of actively supporting the M23 rebels with troops and weapons, a charge Rwanda vehemently denies.
“Rwanda is determined to seize the city of Goma,” Ekenge said.
The growing crisis has prompted serious international concern. The United States, the United Kingdom, and France have urged their citizens to leave Goma while airports and borders remain open. Meanwhile, the UN announced it will temporarily relocate nonessential staff from Goma.
The conflict has claimed the lives of at least nine peacekeepers, including two from the UN’s MONUSCO force.
The UN has warned of the risk of a wider regional conflict and the humanitarian crisis is deepening. More than 237,000 people have been displaced since the start of the year alone, according to the UN refugee agency. The eastern DRC has long been plagued by violence, with M23 just one of roughly 100 armed groups vying for control. The conflict, ongoing for decades, has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises with approximately six million people killed and seven million internally displaced since 1998.
