Rwandan-backed rebel group M23 declares unilateral ceasefire in DRC

The M23 rebels, supported by Rwanda, who captured the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo last week, have announced a unilateral ceasefire beginning on Tuesday.

The Congo River Alliance, a group of militias that includes M23, announced it was declaring the ceasefire “for humanitarian purposes”. Aid, food, and other essential goods flowing into the city were nearly halted by the M23’s progress, prompting humanitarian organizations and the international community to intensify their appeals for the establishment of secure routes to deliver crucial supplies.

On Monday, the UN reported that at least 900 individuals had lost their lives in the fighting between the rebels and Congolese forces during the previous week. It mentioned that facilities and offices owned by aid groups had been ransacked, and cautioned about the potential spread of mpox, cholera, measles, and other illnesses resulting from insufficient access to healthcare.

Foreign ministers from the G7 industrial nations called on the conflicting parties to resume talks on Monday and demanded a “swift, secure, and unobstructed delivery of humanitarian aid for civilians.” Goma, a city with a population of 2 million and a central hub for displaced individuals, lies in a region rich in mineral resources worth trillions of dollars. During the M23 takeover, hospitals were flooded with individuals wounded in the conflict, and corpses remained on the streets for several days.

Approximately 300,000 internally displaced individuals were compelled to leave camps located on the edges of the city. Last week, it was reported that M23 was making progress beyond Goma toward Bukavu, the capital of the adjacent South Kivu province; however, on Monday, the group asserted it had no plans to capture additional land.

Rwanda states that its main goal is to eliminate combatants associated with the nation’s 1994 genocide. The government of Congo and various UN reports indicate that Rwanda utilizes the group as a way to harvest and subsequently export precious minerals for use in items like mobile phones.  On Friday and Saturday, two regional groups – the Southern African Development Community and the East African Community (EAC) – will conduct a combined summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, concerning the conflict.