Congo’s government on Monday accused Rwanda of an incursion into the North Kivu province in the east of the country, hours after the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels claimed control over the provincial capital, Goma.
“The government continues to work to prevent carnage and loss of life in light of Rwanda’s clear intentions,” government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said in a post on the platform X.
He spoke of the “presence of the Rwandan army” in Goma.
Muyaya said Kinshasa urged residents of the eastern city to stay at home and to refrain from committing acts of vandalism and looting.
What else do we know about the situation in Goma?
The Reuters news agency cited UN sources as saying that Congolese forces exchanged artillery fire with Rwandan troops across the border between the two Central African countries.
Rwandan army spokesperson Ronald Rwivanga said that five civilians were killed and 25 were wounded on the outskirts of the border town of Gisenyi.
The Rwanda-Congo border near Goma was closed on Monday, the AFP news agency cited a European consulate source as saying.
As rebels entered Goma, thousands of inmates broke out of the city’s Munzenze prison.
The UN-backed Radio Okapi station reported that the jailbreak had been caused by a fire at the facilities.
In Congo, M23 rebels advance on North Kivu’s capital Goma
The Congolese government statement comes hours after ethnic Tutsi-led M23 rebels said they had taken control of Goma.
On Saturday, international peacekeepers from South Africa, Malawi and Uruguay were killed in clashes with M23 fighters.
On Sunday, the UN Security Council ordered the group to halt its offensive in eastern Congo and “condemned the ongoing flagrant disregard for [Congo’s] sovereignty and territorial integrity,” while calling on “external forces” to withdraw.
Kenya’s Ruto calls for ‘direct’ talks
Kenyan President William Ruto said that the leaders of Rwanda and Congo had told him they would attend a crisis summit on Wednesday.
“I have discussed the summit meeting for Wednesday both with [Rwandan] President Paul Kagame and with [Congolese] President Felix Tshisekedi, and both of them have confirmed their participation,” he said.
“We do not see, from where I sit, a possibility of a military solution to the challenges that face [eastern Congo],” he said, calling for “direct engagement” with M23 rebels and other “stakeholders” in talks.
Angola-mediated negotiations between Congo and Rwanda collapsed in December after Kigali insisted Kinshasa hold direct peace talks with M23.
What is the conflict in eastern Congo?
Congo, the US, and UN experts accuse Rwanda of backing the M23 rebel group.
Rwanda denies supporting the militia, but has acknowledged it has stationed troops and missile systems in eastern Congo.
Eastern Congo is rich in minerals and natural resources and has been contested by scores of different armed groups.
The fighting in Congo has internally displaced over 7 million people.
M23 also took over Goma in 2012 but agreed to withdraw just days after the capture.
sdi/rmt (AFP, AP, Reuters)