On January 29, 2025, the heads of state of East African Community (EAC) gathered virtually for the 24th extraordinary summit to discuss the deterioration of safety in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), especially after the recent capture of Goma by the rebels of the M23.
The summit was chaired by President of Kenya William Ruto, but the Congolese president Félix Tshisekedi was absent , who did not participate in the talks.
A key element of the crisis was the involvement of Romanian mercenaries alongside of the composed coalition from the Congolese army (FARDC), with the union of armed groups SAMIDRC, FDLR and Wazalendo. After the defeat suffered by Goma, 248 European mercenaries have laid down their arms and were taken in custody by the UN mission (MONUSCO), which subsequently took them over transferred to Rwanda. From there, they will be repatriated to Romania.
Kinshasa’s use of mercenaries was strongly criticized by Rwanda, which has reported the violation of international standards.
The conflict between the Congolese government and the M23 rebels reignited tensions between DRC and Rwanda. Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting the M23 and to have troops on Congolese territory, while the Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe denied any direct involvement of the Rwandan army. President Paul Kagame spoke out with a long tweet in which he rectified some statements of government of South Africa, underlining that the Rwanda Defense Force is a regular army and not a militia, and, furthermore, criticizing the role of the mission SAMIDRC, calling it a belligerent force that operates alongside groups armed like the FDLR, threatening the security of Rwanda itself.
The UN has raised the alarm about the humanitarian situation in the North and South Kivu, where access to aid is severely limited. The airport of Goma has been closed since January 26 and many main roads, including the RN2, are blocked. In Minova, in South Kivu, the Humanitarian operations have been suspended since January 18.
The crisis had repercussions even in the capital Kinshasa, where on the 28th January protesters attacked several embassies, including those of Belgium, France, Kenya, South Africa, States United and Uganda, in protest against community inertia international.
According to some analyses, the capture of Goma on the part of the M23 represents a turning point demonstrating the failure of Kinshasa’s military strategies, including those based on the support of mercenaries foreigners and MONUSCO troops. M23 rebels declare themselves ready to negotiate, while the community international continues to urge the Congolese government to look for a political rather than a military solution.
The evolution of the situation in the eastern DR remains uncertain with the risk than the humanitarian crisis and geopolitics tensions further aggravate the conflict.
