Rebel and Government Forces Clash in Goma
On Jan. 29, rebels patrol the streets of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo. [Brian Inganga/AP Newsroom]
This past weekend, April 12 and 13, fighting ramped up again in the conflict between M23 rebels and pro-government forces in Goma, the largest city in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The government of the DRC reports that 52 people have died as a result of the recent violence, the worst the country has seen since rebel forces seized Goma in January. Both sides are trading blame, each claiming the fighting was instigated by the other side. The government attributed the deaths to M23, a Rwandan-backed rebel group that has been fighting with government forces. M23 spokesperson Willy Ngoma blames the government forces and Wazalendo, a pro-government militia group, for the violence. Jules Mulumba, a leader of Wazalendo, confirmed that his group was responsible for the violence, despite the government maintaining M23’s responsibility.
This larger violence comes after a hospital shooting on April 4 by M23 forces. This attack on a Doctors Without Borders hospital killed 1 and injured 3 more. The humanitarian organization is working to provide support for the people of the DRC, providing both primary and secondary healthcare services in the region. Doctors Without Borders warns that “increased frequency and severity of these incidents is straining our capacity to respond and may lead to the suspension of some services”.
On Feb. 17, M23 rebels patrol the streets of Bukavu, DRC. [Janvier Barhahiga/AP Newsroom]
In Bukavu, a city also controlled by M23, Wazalendo forces marched toward the local airport, potentially as a demonstration to challenge the rebel forces in the city. However, the group retreated in Bukavu, in order to “give ongoing peace talks ‘a chance’” after declaring a ceasefire on Sunday. Civilians living in the two cities live with fear and uncertainty, unable to tell who instigated and carried out what attacks. Christian Kalamo, a civil society leader in the northern province of the country, told AP News “we don’t know what will happen, and we live with fear in our stomachs, thinking that the war will resume”.
This increased violence comes against the backdrop of ongoing peace negotiations between the M23 group and the DRC’s government. Delegations representing both groups have met in Doha, a meeting facilitated by Qatar. While analysts believed the meeting to be meaningful, they are “wary about any immediate positive outcomes”. The hope of the negotiations is that both parties recommit to a peace deal they trade accusations of violating previously. Ideally, they will also promise to continue to discuss how to end the prolonged conflict. The fighting has caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, about 21.2 million people are in need of humanitarian aid in the country, as violence has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes. The Goma airport also remains closed, limiting what humanitarian aid can be brought into the country. Humanitarian agencies “continue to enable life-saving operations by negotiating access and providing urgent medical care [and] food assistance” to the people of the DRC. However, unless peace can be achieved, this aid is simply a short term solution and violent outbreaks, such as the recent fighting, will continue to plague the country.