Published: Bouncer News | By Abdul Jabbar
A severely weakened Congolese military is being put to an extremely difficult test as Rwanda-backed M23 rebels mount a quick thrust into South Kivu province. Violence continues to rack up the body count, leaving an estimated 700 dead in this week, according to United Nations reports. The crisis has escalated to another regional airport in this already devastated region.
The Congolese army made strategic gains on Saturday, retaking the villages of Sanzi, Muganzo, and Mukwidja in South Kivu’s Kalehe territory. Those areas had fallen under rebel control earlier in the week, two civil society officials said, speaking anonymously due to security concerns.
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s military has been seriously weakened after taking heavy losses, including the loss of Goma, which caused foreign mercenaries to surrender and hundreds of troops to be killed. Goma is a key humanitarian hub central to efforts supporting the more than 6 million displaced people in eastern Congo.
The U.N. peacekeeping chief, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, issued a warning that M23 and Rwandan forces have advanced to within 60 kilometers (37 miles) of South Kivu’s provincial capital, Bukavu. He described the rebel movement as alarmingly fast, stating that their potential capture of an airport a few kilometers away would mark a critical escalation.
U.N. experts have estimated that one of more than 100 militia groups operating in eastern Congo receives backing from a force of roughly 4,000 Rwandan troops. A larger force was needed to topple Goma in 2012, fighting deeply rooted over ethnic grievances; leaders of M23 declared Friday their intent is to march westward toward the capital, Kinshasa – some 1,600 kilometres, or almost 1,000 miles from their current eastern starting point.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Friday that an assessment conducted between January 26-30 by the World Health Organization and its partners confirmed the loss of 700 lives and reported 2,800 injuries in Goma and its surrounding areas. The situation continues to deteriorate, with widespread human rights violations recorded.
Jeremy Laurence, a spokesman for the U.N. human rights office, said M23 has committed extrajudicial killings and forced conscription of civilians. Between January 26-28, at least 12 people were executed by the rebels, who have also occupied schools and hospitals, subjecting civilians to forced labor. Meanwhile, Congolese troops have also been accused of committing sexual violence, with allegations of 52 rapes under investigation in South Kivu.
The takeover of Goma has brought humanitarian work to a grinding halt, and critical aid supply routes have been severed. “The humanitarian implications are catastrophic,” Mercy Corps Country Director Rose Tchwenko said. “If violence around Bukavu continues to increase, there’s likely to be further displacement. Communities without access to humanitarian aid are left behind and exposed.”.
As the fighting becomes more intense, concern has grown about the humanitarian impact and the ability of M23 rebels to make further territorial gains. The international community holds its breath as the conflict spills out of control in eastern Congo.