Catholic delegation from Congo meets with rebel leader as military moves forward

On Wednesday, representatives from the influential Catholic church in Congo met with a rebel leader whose M23 forces, backed by Rwanda, took control of Goma—the largest city in the country’s eastern region—last month and have continued to advance southward.
The meeting, which took place in Goma, came as the rebel leader, Corneille Nangaa, seeks to position himself as the central figure for political leaders and rebel groups opposing the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi. Nangaa’s political group, the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), considers the M23 its military wing, and it has held control of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, since late January. On Tuesday, the group warned of launching another offensive towards Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province.
According to two U.N. sources and South Kivu’s provincial governor, M23 has now seized the town of Ihusi, located west of Lake Kivu, between Goma and Bukavu. “We have received reports that Ihusi is now under enemy control,” said Governor Jean-Jacques Purusi Sadiki, adding that Congolese forces are now mounting a counteroffensive.
Bukavu and the key town of Kavumu, which is 35 kilometres to the north and home to the region’s airport, remain under the control of Congo’s military, supported by pro-government militias and troops from neighbouring Burundi. A Catholic official, who chose to remain anonymous, said that the goal of meeting Nangaa was, in part, to establish a framework for dialogue that would be acceptable to all parties involved.
The escalating conflict has sparked concerns that the battle for Bukavu might lead to a larger regional conflict, with countries’ military forces potentially clashing, similar to the wars that took place between 1996 and 2003. Congo, the U.N., and several Western nations have accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 with its own troops and military supplies. Rwanda has neither confirmed nor denied these allegations, stating instead that it is defending itself.
On Wednesday, RwandAir, the national airline of Rwanda, announced that it had altered its flight routes after Congo closed its airspace to Rwandan-registered aircraft. The ongoing violence in eastern Congo has resulted in thousands of deaths since early 2022 and forced over a million people to flee their homes.
Though the U.N. reported on Tuesday that Goma has experienced a brief period of calm, many displaced people are leaving the camps surrounding the city.M23, who have sought to restore order and show they can govern, said on Sunday that camps for displaced people should be vacated within 72 hours. They later clarified that such moves should be voluntary.