The Goma offensive was a military operation launched by the March 23 Movement (M23), a Congolese rebel group that is part of the Congo River Alliance (AFC) and is supported by Rwanda, against the regional capital of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It lasted from January 23 to January 30, 2025. The campaign was part of the larger M23 …

Jan 29, 2025 · GOMA, Congo (AP) — Rwanda-backed rebels have claimed they captured eastern Congo’s strategic city of Goma, the hub of a region containing trillions of dollars in mineral wealth that remains largely untapped.. Analysts said the M23 fighters aimed to control the city of about 2 million people and perhaps other areas in the region nearly 1,000 miles from the Congolese …

Jan 27, 2025 · GOMA, Congo — Rwanda-backed rebels claimed they captured eastern Congo’s largest city, Goma, early Monday, as the United Nations described a “mass panic” among its 2 million people and Congo’s...

Jan 29, 2025 · Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have tightened their grip on Goma, the biggest city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), signalling a major blow to the Congolese army and a serious ...

Jan 28, 2025 · “AFC-M23 controls Goma,” Victor Tesongo, an AFC spokesperson, told CNN Monday, adding that “Goma fell under pressure” after the group’s earlier seizure of the nearby towns of Minova and Saké....

Jan 29, 2025 · M23 rebels release captured Romanian mercenaries, who were fighting alongside Democratic Republic of Congo army (FRDC), at Gisenyi border point in Congo, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, after the M23 rebels advanced into eastern Congo’s capital Goma.

6 days ago · M23 has ordered locals to clean Goma’s streets, but they remain littered with military uniforms abandoned by Congolese soldiers. “Wherever I sweep, I find these,” Anna Mapendo said as she ...

Jan 28, 2025 · Heavy battles between M23 fighters and Congolese government forces in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) city of Goma have left many bodies on the streets, with hospitals...

Jan 27, 2025 · We are closing our live coverage of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Rwandan-backed rebels on Monday marched into Goma. Congolese troops exchanged fire …

Feb 11, 2024 · Rebels from the ethnic Tutsi-led M23 movement are blocking the two main roads into Goma from the north and the west and preventing produce from getting through.

Jan 30, 2025 · When M23 rebels swept into the Congolese city of Goma this week, world powers urged them to immediately withdraw. Instead, the Rwanda-backed insurgents are intent on showing they can restore order ...

Jan 30, 2025 · The M23 rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo or DRC) has seized control of Goma, a key city in the eastern part of the country, and is now advancing south towards Bukavu.

Feb 3, 2025 · As the M23 rejoices over its conquest, the Congolese government continues to deny the rebels' claim that they have totally captured Goma. The authorities accuses the M23 of illegally occupying ...

Jan 29, 2025 · People who crossed from Congo wait for assistance in Gyseny, Rwanda, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, following M23 rebels' advances into eastern Congo's capital Goma.

Jan 30, 2025 · The rebel leader whose fighters have captured Goma, the biggest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has vowed to continue their offensive all the way to the capital, Kinshasa. Corneille ...

Feb 2, 2025 · The Rwandan-backed M23 group was pushing south in mineral-rich eastern DR Congo as the United Nations warned the escalating conflict had killed at least 700 people in less than a week. The M23...

On 20 November 2012, M23 took control of Goma, the capital of North Kivu with a population of a million people, but was persuaded to withdraw from the city by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region because the Congolese government had finally agreed to negotiate with the rebel group.

M23 rebels in Goma. M23 forces began an assault against army positions in Goma on 19 November, sending mortar shells and machine gun fire into the city which was still being defended by the government army. M23 spokesman Lt. Col. Vianney Kazarma said "Fighting is already taking place on the streets of Goma this morning."

Jan 29, 2025 · The fall of Goma to the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels has sent shock waves through the region and risks triggering a wider regional war. Memories remain fresh of the devastating Congo Wars of the late 1990s and early 2000s in which 7 African militaries intervened, and an estimated 5.4 million Congolese died.

4 days ago · In any case, it seems M23’s siege of Goma has been triggered by the failed negotiations in Luanda in December 2024, when the DRC categorically rejected Rwanda’s demand for a direct dialogue ...

Jan 30, 2025 · Just over three years after the resurgence of the M23 in eastern DR Congo, the rebel group's war with a government coalition saw its biggest escalation on Sunday, January 26, when the rebels...

Jan 30, 2025 · M23’s previous occupation of Goma in 2012 ended abruptly due to a combination of international pressure and internal factionalism. Within weeks, the rebels withdrew following Ugandan-brokered negotiations. This time, analysts suggest that M23 is less likely to fracture. Unlike in 2012, when divisions weakened their cohesion, the group now ...

Feb 7, 2024 · Thousands of people are fleeing violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo as fighting intensifies between the Congolese army and the M23 armed group. Fighters reportedly surrounded the...

6 days ago · Things unraveled quickly, and within one week, M23 was in control of Goma. FARDC suffered serious losses, several UN Peacekeepers (mostly from South Africa) were killed, and hundreds of Romanians were captured and repatriated to their home country by Rwanda.

The rapid advance of M23 — supported by the Rwandan military (RDF) — in North Kivu has taken most of us by surprise over the past week. By the morning of January 29th, the rebels largely controlled the strategic city of Goma, except for some last pockets of resistance by Congolese army soldiers and allied armed groups.