M23 pushes deeper in east DRC, U.N. urges Rwanda forces to leave

U.N. Security Council calls on Rwanda to stop backing M23 fighters in DR Congo, halting bloodshed and displacement.

M23 fighters advanced on several fronts in DR Congo’s volatile east Friday (February 22, 2025) as the U.N. Security Council for the first time called on Rwanda to stop backing the armed group and halt the bloodshed.

The M23 movement, supported by some 4,000 Rwandan soldiers, according to U.N. experts, now controls large swaths of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a troubled region rich in natural resources.

Its rapid advance has sent thousands fleeing. Fighters took control of the South Kivu provincial capital Bukavu last Sunday (February 16, 2025), weeks after capturing Goma, the capital of North Kivu and main city in the country’s east.

Friday’s (February 22, 2025) unanimously adopted U.N. Security Council resolution “strongly condemns the ongoing offensive and advances of the M23 in North-Kivu and South Kivu with the support of the Rwanda Defence Forces.”

It also “calls on the Rwanda Defense Forces to cease support to the M23 and immediately withdraw from DRC territory without preconditions.”

The Security Council had previously called for an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire” by all parties, but on Friday (February 22, 2025) all countries including the three African members pointed the finger at Kigali.

Recent gains have given M23 control of Lake Kivu following its lightning offensive in the east. According to the U.N., the latest fighting has led to an exodus of more than 50,000 Congolese to Burundi, Uganda and other countries.