The capture of Goma, the main city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, last week by the M23 rebel group follows a three-year insurgency heavily supported by neighbouring Rwanda despite its awful impact on millions of Congolese civilians.
Morgues in Goma – a city of nearly two million and a humanitarian relief hub for the whole of eastern DRC – are now overflowing and there are too few body bags in the city after thousands of people were killed in the days leading up to its capture.
Hundreds of thousands of people were uprooted by the fighting, camps hosting people who had already fled M23 offensives in other eastern areas were abandoned and destroyed, and the cost of some essential food items has now more than doubled.
The M23 is mostly led by Congolese Tutsi rebels who initially justified their insurgency by claiming the DRC government failed to implement a prior peace deal with the group, and by arguing that Tutsi communities were being targeted by other armed groups.
Rwanda, however, has largely been pulling the strings, using the rebels to assert power in eastern DRC, which it sees as its backyard and where it wants to deepen its political and economic influence. The rebellion has worsened the situation for Congolese Tutsi.
Though the M23 announced a unilateral ceasefire on Monday – and claimed it has no intention of seizing more territory – many fear the possibility of a long-term rebel-Rwanda occupation or even an annexation of the massive territory that they now hold.
A deeper escalation of the conflict could also further draw in other neighbouring countries (many of whom are already on the ground), echoing the devastating regional wars of the 1990s and early 2000s.
At The New Humanitarian, we have been covering the conflict for the past three years, using our network of journalists to provide multi-faceted reporting on the rebellion, its root causes, and the humanitarian and human rights consequences.
Have a look at some of our strongest stories in the list below, and watch out for upcoming dispatches and analysis from journalists in Goma and other parts of the region.
Understanding the insurgency
The M23 descends from a long line of DRC rebel groups backed by neighbouring Rwanda. Support began in the 1990s as Rwanda hunted down Hutu militias that fled to DRC after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Still, the roots of the current insurgency are heavily disputed, with both sides of the conflict advancing very different narratives. Read the articles below for nuanced analysis that helps make sense of what is happening, and to understand why the conflict has escalated and who is to blame.
Fall of Goma: Why Rwandan aggression in DR Congo must be stopped
Kigali’s support for the M23 would not have been possible without outside complicity.
Goma capture sparks fears of deeper regional conflict as Rwanda-backed rebels push south
Why the capture of Goma could lead to an even deeper regional conflict.
How to avoid false narratives around DR Congo's M23 conflict
Two main narratives currently dominate the landscape of information warfare: one is clustered around the Congolese government, the other is pro-M23 and pro-Rwanda.
‘Ticking time bomb’: DR Congo turns to abusive militias to fight M23 rebels
To fight the M23, the Congolese army has been supporting abusive militias that are recruiting children and harming civilians.
‘My heart is bleeding’: Congolese youth on the M23 war and prospects for peace
Congolese youth reflect on how the war has impacted them, and discuss whether they think the government should pursue dialogue with the rebels.
Community responses
Congolese civil society and ordinary citizens have played a leading role in responding to the humanitarian fallout from the insurgency. They have hosted displaced people in their homes, run soup kitchens in camps, and even organised cultural initiatives for affected people, from spoken word poetry sessions to dance spectacles and music concerts.
‘We try to set examples’: Meet the local activists feeding DR Congo’s war-displaced
A collective of tireless local volunteer activists – artists, musicians, journalists, humanitarians, and commercial traders – has been on hand to help those most in need.
For Congolese displaced by the M23 war, host families offer a ‘heart of solidarity’
Holding together the humanitarian response in villages and towns across eastern DRC is an army of host families who have flung open their doors and are sharing out their scarce resources.
Why I’m hosting Congolese relatives who fled the M23 conflict
A host who works for the NGO Mercy Corps shares why he is sheltering relatives, and describes the many challenges his family faces.
Slam poems and dance shows: How Congolese creatives are responding to the M23 conflict
Congolese artists have been organising various cultural initiatives and events for displaced people, from spoken word poetry sessions to dance spectacles and music concerts.
How Congolese journalists displaced by the M23 war are keeping the airwaves alive
Journalists are broadcasting in displacement camps often at their own expense, and organising into unions to support one another through trying times.
The humanitarian and human rights impact
Some two million people have been uprooted by the conflict, yet the response from international humanitarian organisations has been weak. Human rights abuses by the different fighting groups have been rampant, with displacement camps repeatedly shelled and women and girls facing high levels of sexual and gender-based violence.
How DR Congo’s M23 conflict is impacting Goma
Goma’s previous population was around 1.5 million, but an additional 700,000 people have arrived during the conflict.
Displaced Congolese on the M23 conflict and the need for peace
What is life like for those uprooted? What journeys have people taken to safety? And how are they providing for themselves and their families as the conflict spreads?
Timid’ aid response hurts Congolese displaced by M23 conflict
Aid agencies say insecurity and insufficient funding from donors means they are failing people displaced by the conflict
Sexual violence plagues women displaced by DR Congo’s M23 conflict
Women seeking safety in mushrooming displacement camps are at risk from rape and sexual assault as an underfunded humanitarian response fails to keep them safe.
How the M23 conflict endangers DR Congo’s Tutsi communities
The M23 claims to protect Congolese Tutsi communities, but its insurgency has had a harmful impact with many Tutsi civilians unfairly typecast as rebel collaborators.
DR Congo’s war-displaced face rebel shelling and militia abuses
Residents of displacement sites in Goma are living in constant fear of M23 artillery strikes, and because of sexual violence and robberies in the camps.
How Congolese journalists covering the M23 war are being forced to pick sides
The conflict parties and their cheerleaders regularly harass reporters, accusing them of either supporting Rwanda and the M23, or the Congolese government and its auxiliaries.
