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Is Rwanda going to annex Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
MARC VANDEPITTE looks at dangerous developments in a war that has killed millions, but attracts little attention in the West
TENSIONS: M23 rebels (background) walk past a UN peacekeeper vehicle in Goma, DR Congo
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Goma has fallen into the hands of the M23 rebel group, supported by Rwanda. While the Congolese government calls it a “declaration of war,” the West remains largely inactive. Will there be action to stop the annexation?
On January 27, 2025, the M23 rebel group, backed by Rwanda, captured the city of Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Goma has a population of 1.5 million and is surrounded by hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
This is yet another flare-up in a forgotten war that has claimed the lives of no less than six million people since 1996. We are therefore talking about the bloodiest conflict of recent decades.
Forgotten war
M23 is a rebel army claiming to fight for the rights of the Congolese Tutsi community, which often feels marginalised and threatened in the region.
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