By Summary
- Rebels have captured eastern town of Nyabibwe.
- Government says its forces resist advance.
- U.N. estimates at least 2,800 killed in fighting.
GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Feb 5 (AfrikTimes) – Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have seized control of a mining town in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s South Kivu province, eight sources confirmed on Wednesday, in what appears to be a violation of the unilateral ceasefire they declared earlier this week.
The capture of Nyabibwe, a town on the shores of Lake Kivu, brings the rebels closer to the provincial capital, Bukavu, about 70 km (40 miles) to the south. Last week, M23 said they had no intention of advancing on Bukavu. The rebels announced a ceasefire on Monday, but multiple sources—including local officials, a civil society representative, rebels, and an international security source—confirmed that Nyabibwe had fallen into their hands.
“There have been clashes since 5 a.m., and it was at 9 a.m. that the town fell into the hands of the rebels. They are in the center of the town at the moment,” said the civil society leader, who like the other sources spoke on condition of anonymity.
M23 rebels ride through Goma’s streets on Jan. 29. Source: AFP
Nyabibwe, known for its gold, coltan, and other mineral deposits, serves as a major commercial hub along the route between Goma—the capital of North Kivu province, which the rebels seized last week—and Bukavu.
Congo’s Communications Minister, Patrick Muyaya, told reporters that the rebels violated the ceasefire overnight and were facing resistance from Congolese armed forces around Nyabibwe.
Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Congo River Alliance rebel coalition, which includes M23, confirmed that the group had moved into Nyabibwe. “They attacked us, and we defended ourselves,” he told reporters. This advance suggests that M23 may have resumed its push toward Bukavu, a campaign that began after the group captured Goma last week.
On Tuesday, a Congolese military court issued an international arrest warrant for Nangaa, accusing him of war crimes and treason.
The capture of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s largest city has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and heightened fears of a wider regional war.
Members of the Congolese Red Cross and Civil Protection unload the bodies of the victims killed during the fighting between government troops and rebels in Goma on Monday.
The full scale of civilian suffering is still unfolding in Goma, where last week’s intense fighting left people caught in the crossfire, destroyed buildings, overwhelmed hospitals, and littered the streets with bodies.
On Wednesday, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated that at least 2,800 people had died in Goma.
“The human toll is staggering. We and our partners are struggling to assess the full extent of the situation,” spokesperson Jens Laerke said in an email.
Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court said they were closely monitoring developments after reports of possible war crimes in the battle for Goma.
A person inspects the remains of a vehicle hit by heavy and light weapons during the fighting in the town that led to the fall of Goma into the hands of the M23 rebels, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, February 5, 2025.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said its medical warehouse in Goma was looted last week and would take months to restore.
The city’s bishop, Willy Ngumbi, on Wednesday condemned the destruction of a maternity ward caused by explosives. He urged Rwanda, Congo, and Burundi—which also has troops deployed in the region supporting Congo—to engage in dialogue to prevent the conflict from escalating further.
Meanwhile, in Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, lawmakers in the National Assembly held a lengthy closed-door extraordinary session to discuss the crisis ahead of a regional summit with eastern and southern African leaders in Tanzania this weekend.
A view shows the remains of a vehicle hit by heavy and light weapons during the fighting in the town that led to the fall of Goma into the hands of the M23 rebels, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, February 5, 2025.
A diplomatic source said Rwanda opposed the presence of troops from the 16-member Southern African Development Community (SADC), which has been supporting Congo and extended their mission late last year.
Despite the renewed hostilities, Malawi cited the ceasefire on Wednesday as the reason for ordering the withdrawal of its troops from the regional force.
A nurse watches over babies in incubators in the neonatology department of the Charite Maternelle hospital, where shells landed during the fighting in the town of Goma that led to the fall of the town into the hands of the M23, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, February 5, 2025.
