EXPLAINER – Goma Crisis: Why Is Conflict Raging In The Eastern DRC? (Q&A)

• The past weeks have seen significant gains by the allegedly foreign-backed rebel group M23, which claims to defend the rights of ethnic Tutsis in the region
• Eastern Congo’s vast mineral wealth has made it a battleground for control, with reports indicating that over 100 armed groups operating in the region as conflict has displaced thousands, and killed dozens in the latest rebel offensive

Weeks of renewed fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have culminated in the capture of Goma, a key border city targeted by rebels allegedly backed by foreign rivals.

The M23 rebel group stepped up its push towards Goma, a city of about 3 million people located on the northern shore of Lake Kivu on the boundary with Rwanda.

As the capital of North Kivu province, Goma is the largest settlement to fall in a series of rebel advances that have overtaken key frontier towns.

While the DRC government has denied that the rebels had taken full control, M23 spokesman Willy Ngoma told the press on Tuesday that fighters were “in control of the city.”

“I am in Goma now. Everything is very nice, very good, and there is no problem,” Ngoma said, claiming “total control” of the city, which also serves as a gateway to some of the world’s most mineral-rich areas.

The Congolese government is supported by UN peacekeepers from the MONUSCO mission and regional troops under the Southern African Development Community Mission in Congo (SAMIDRC), which includes forces from Malawi, South Africa, and Tanzania.

Since last week, fighting in the region has left at least 42 people dead, including 17 foreign peacekeepers. Hundreds more have been injured amid ongoing clashes between the Congolese army and rebel forces. Over half of Goma’s population are children, according to Save the Children, while about 1 million are displaced people.

Rwanda claims at least nine of its citizens were killed in an alleged cross-border exchange of gunfire originating from Goma.

UN experts accuse Rwanda and Uganda of supporting M23 by providing sanctuary and enabling Rwandan troops to join the fighting in eastern Congo.

Both nations deny the allegations, countering that the armed groups targeting their own territory have used the DRC as a sanctuary.

Why is Goma important?

Goma’s strategic location as a commercial hub has long made it a focal point in local power struggles during Congo’s wars.

The city’s proximity to mineral-rich areas has embedded it in the war economy, drawing settlers, traders, and criminals. Control over Goma has historically shaped political power and trade networks in the region.

Much of the conflict in eastern Congo is driven by the region’s mineral riches, including coltan, cobalt, tantalum, and lithium reserves, essential to modern technology.

Goma, home to several ethnic groups, including Tutsi, Hutu, Hunde, Kano, Nande, and Nyanga, has also been affected by ethnic tensions, often rooted in economic rivalries.

Local militias frequently clash over control of land and mining areas, from which armed groups fund their activities by smuggling minerals.

Who are the M23 and what do they want?

The M23 movement has its origins in the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), a rebel group that claimed to fight for the rights of the Tutsi minority in eastern Congo.

The CNDP signed a peace deal with the Congolese government in March 2009. Under the agreement, its fighters were integrated into the national army.

In April 2012, a faction of former CNDP rebels broke away from the military, accusing the government of failing to implement the agreement. They formed the March 23 Movement, or M23, named after the date of the 2009 deal.

Why are Rwanda and Uganda allegedly backing rebels?

Conflicts in eastern Congo trace back to the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, when about 1 million people, most of them members of the Tutsi ethnic group and moderate Hutus, were killed by Hutu extremists within a span of 100 days.

The subsequent resettlement of Hutus in the region sparked widespread violence, as many of the genocide perpetrators fled to Congo. Meanwhile, Rwanda has supported Tutsis, aiding their reorganization efforts across the border.

M23 asserts that minority Congolese Tutsis face discrimination due to their ethnic links to their kin in Rwanda. The group claims the Congolese government has failed to address their concerns about safety and military integration.

Kinshasa, for its part, accuses M23 of destabilizing the region with external backing, particularly from Rwanda and Uganda.

Both nations deny the allegations, with Kampala accusing the DRC of sheltering rebels fighting Uganda, including the ISIS/Daesh-linked Allied Democratic Forces and the People’s Redemption Army.

Rwanda, likewise, accuses the Congolese army of allying with rebels in the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), whose members are blamed for the 1994 genocide.

Why is eastern DRC a hotspot for conflicts?

Eastern Congo’s vast mineral wealth has made it a battleground for control, with over 100 armed groups operating in the region.

Analysts attribute the ongoing fighting to efforts by foreign powers to maintain influence and profit from the extraction of minerals such as gold, coltan, and cobalt.

Rwanda is accused of facilitating the illegal trafficking of these minerals, which are worth more than $1 billion and play a significant role in the ongoing conflict, according to Africa Center for Strategic Studies.

The Congolese army has been deployed repeatedly to eastern Congo to protect mining sites belonging to Chinese companies. Most of the cobalt mines owned by US companies were sold to firms connected to Beijing since, according to the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations.

Key reserves in eastern Congo also include tantalum, tin, tungsten, and copper. These resources dominate Congo’s economy, with minerals and petroleum comprising the majority of its export value.

How does the ongoing conflict affect civilians?

Over 26 million people in Congo are in need of humanitarian assistance, according to Save the Children.

In Goma, hospitals are overwhelmed as they struggle to manage rising patient numbers, while electricity and water supplies have been disrupted. Internet services have also been unavailable since Monday.

Congolese Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner reported that more than 100 people have been treated at health centers in recent days, while over 500,000 people have been displaced.

Amnesty International notes that over 400,000 were displaced in January alone, with Goma already hosting more than 600,000 internally displaced persons.

The World Food Program has raised alarms over food shortages in Goma, where rising prices and blocked access roads have worsened the crisis. The UN deputy special representative to MONUSCO has said nearly 3 million people have been displaced in North Kivu province to date.