Rebels close in on key Congo city as 13 officials killed and thousands displaced

Congo severs ties with Rwanda amid escalating violence near Goma, as rebels advance and civilians flee.

Congo has severed diplomatic ties with Rwanda as fighting between Rwanda-backed rebels and government forces rages around the key eastern city of Goma, leaving at least 13 peacekeepers and foreign soldiers dead and displacing thousands of civilians.

The M23 rebel group has made significant territorial gains along the border with Rwanda in recent weeks, closing in on Goma, the provincial capital that has a population of around 2 million and is a regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts.

Congo, the United States and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing M23, which is mainly made up of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese Army more than a decade ago. It’s one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich region, where a long-running conflict has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

Rwanda’s government denies backing the rebels, but last year acknowledged that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a buildup of Congolese forces near the border. U.N. experts estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.

The Congolese Foreign ministry said late on Saturday (January 25, 2025) it was severing diplomatic ties with Rwanda and pulling out all diplomatic staff from the country “with immediate effect.”

Rwanda’s Foreign Minister, Olivier Nduhungirehe, said on Sunday (January 26, 2025) that the decision to sever diplomatic ties was a unilateral move by Congo “that was even published on social media before being sent to our embassy.”

“For us, we took appropriate measures to evacuate our remaining diplomat in Kinshasa, who was under permanent threat by Congolese officials. And this was achieved on Friday (January 24, 2025), one day before the publication of this so-called note verbale on social media,” he said.