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Arab News
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Civilians expelled to Rwanda by fighters
GOMA: Armed fighters from the M23 group, which has taken control of eastern DR Congo's key major town of Goma, on Saturday set about expelling thousands of people they say are illegals from Rwanda, witnesses said. On Monday, the group's military spokesman, Willy Ngoma, had presented to the media 181 men whom they referred to as 'Rwandan subjects' illegally in the country at Goma's main sports stadium. All the men shown had ID papers from the DRC, which the M23 asserted were bogus. An AFP reporter said the armed group had summarily burned the documents on the stadium pitch. Several hundred women and children, relatives of those detained, joined them at the stadium aboard trucks chartered by the M23. One of the men arrested, who gave his name only as Eric, had said on Monday that he was from Karenga, located in North Kivu, which is considered a stronghold of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, or FDLR. The FDLR is an armed group founded by former Rwandan Hutu leaders of the 1994 Tutsi genocide. Early on Saturday, 360 people were loaded onto buses from Goma, Eujin Byun, said a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The UNHCR stressed that 'returns of refugees to their countries of origin must be safe, voluntary, and carried out with dignity, under international law.' An AFP correspondent reported that the convoy crossed the border to Rubavu, in western Rwanda. 'We will do everything to reintegrate them into society, so that they have the same responsibilities and rights as other Rwandans,' said Prosper Mulindwa, mayor of Rubavu district. The M23 and Kigali accuse Kinshasa of supporting the FDLR and have justified their offensive in eastern DRC by a need to neutralize that group. Most of the families expelled by the M23 are from Karenga and had been prevented from returning there after the M23 took over Goma, according to security and humanitarian sources. The sources said the families lived in a reception center for displaced persons in Sake, some 20 km from Goma. In March, 20 suspected FDLR fighters, dressed in Congolese Armed Forces uniforms, were handed over to Rwandan authorities by the M23. Kinshasa denounced the incident as a 'crude fabrication' intended to discredit its army.
Jordan Times
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Jordan Times
M23 fighters expel civilians to Rwanda
Armed fighters from the M23 group, which has taken control of eastern DR Congo&apos-dynamic-critical-inline-csss key major town of Goma, on Saturday set about expelling thousands of people they say are illegals from Rwanda, AFP witnessed (AFP photo) GOMA — Armed fighters from the M23 group, which has taken control of eastern DR Congo&apos-dynamic-critical-inline-csss key major town of Goma, on Saturday set about expelling thousands of people they say are illegals from Rwanda, AFP Monday the group&apos-dynamic-critical-inline-csss military spokesman Willy Ngoma had presented to the media 181 men whom they referred to as "Rwandan subjects" illegally in the country at Goma&apos-dynamic-critical-inline-csss main sports of the men shown had ID papers from the DRC which the M23 asserted were bogus. An AFP reporter said the armed group had summarily burned the documents on the stadium hundred women and children, relatives of those detained, joined them at the stadium aboard trucks chartered by the of the men arrested, who gave his name only as Eric, had told AFP on Monday that he was from the town of Karenga, located in North Kivu, which is considered a stronghold of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda [FDLR].The FDLR is an armed group founded by former Rwandan Hutu leaders of the 1994 Tutsi Saturday, 360 people were loaded onto buses from Goma, Eujin Byun, a spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR], told UNHCR stressed that "returns of refugees to their countries of origin must be safe, voluntary, and carried out with dignity, in accordance with international law".The convoy crossed the border to Rubavu, in western Rwanda, an AFP correspondent reported."We will do everything to reintegrate them into society, so that they have the same responsibilities and the same rights as other Rwandans," Prosper Mulindwa, mayor of Rubavu district, told M23 and Kigali accuse Kinshasa of supporting the FDLR and have justified their offensive in eastern DRC by a need to neutralise that majority of the families expelled by the M23 are from Karenga, and had been prevented from returning there after the M23 took over Goma, according to security and humanitarian families were living in a reception centre for displaced persons in Sake, some 20 kilometres from Goma, the sources March, 20 suspected FDLR fighters, dressed in Congolese Armed Forces uniforms, were handed over to Rwandan authorities by the M23. Kinshasa denounced the incident as a "crude fabrication" intended to discredit its army. Page 2
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
M23 fighters expel civilians to Rwanda
GOMA: Armed fighters from the M23 group, which has taken control of eastern DR Congo's key major town of Goma, on Saturday set about expelling thousands of people they say are illegals from , AFP witnessed. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now On Monday the group's military spokesman Willy Ngoma had presented to the media 181 men whom they referred to as "Rwandan subjects" illegally in the country at Goma's main sports stadium. All of the men shown had ID papers from the DRC which the M23 asserted were bogus. An AFP reporter said the armed group had summarily burned the documents on the stadium pitch. Several hundred women and children, relatives of those detained, joined them at the stadium aboard trucks chartered by the M23. One of the men arrested, who gave his name only as Eric, had told AFP on Monday that he was from the town of Karenga, located in North Kivu, which is considered a stronghold of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda ( ). The FDLR is an armed group founded by former Rwandan Hutu leaders of the 1994 Tutsi genocide. Early Saturday, 360 people were loaded onto buses from Goma, Eujin Byun, a spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ( ), told AFP. The UNHCR stressed that "returns of refugees to their countries of origin must be safe, voluntary, and carried out with dignity, in accordance with international law". The convoy crossed the border to Rubavu, in western Rwanda, an AFP correspondent reported. "We will do everything to reintegrate them into society, so that they have the same responsibilities and the same rights as other Rwandans," Prosper Mulindwa, mayor of Rubavu district, told reporters. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The M23 and Kigali accuse Kinshasa of supporting the FDLR and have justified their offensive in eastern DRC by a need to neutralise that group. The majority of the families expelled by the M23 are from Karenga, and had been prevented from returning there after the M23 took over Goma, according to security and humanitarian sources. The families were living in a reception centre for displaced persons in Sake, some 20 kilometres (13 miles) from Goma, the sources said. In March, 20 suspected FDLR fighters, dressed in Congolese Armed Forces uniforms, were handed over to Rwandan authorities by the M23. Kinshasa denounced the incident as a "crude fabrication" intended to discredit its army.
IOL News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
The real cost of mineral deals: DRC's sovereignty sold for security
The Democratic Republic of Congo has endured decades of conflict, exacerbated by foreign exploitation and regional geopolitics. This opinion piece critiques Rwanda's role as a proxy power, examines the ideological forces shaping the region, and calls for genuine international solidarity with the Congolese people. Image: Ron AI / IOL Shomari Mukandjwa and Raphaël Bahebwa Since its independence in 1960, the DRC has navigated a tumultuous journey, compounded by external interference and resource exploitation. Remarkably, a small nation like Rwanda has managed to bring a much larger country like the DRC to its knees for nearly three decades, presenting itself as a victim facing security threats from the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda), a militia primarily composed of remnants of the Rwandan Armed Forces and Interahamwe who fled into the DRC after the Rwandan genocide. This rhetoric has often been manipulated by the dictatorship in Kigali to garner international sympathy while enabling military incursions into the DRC and resource extraction. The aftermath of the Rwandan genocide in 1994 significantly altered the political, social, and economic landscape of the Great Lakes region. It elevated poorer and weaker nations like Rwanda, while the DRC—bearing the burden of millions of Rwandan refugees—was left devastated. Those who sparked the violence that led to the genocide now wield the mantle of absolute victimhood, masking the complexities of the histories of violence in the region, and now perpetuating further violence while the people of the DRC remain neglected and overlooked. The genocide that began in 1994 was triggered by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) after they shot down a plane carrying two heads of state: Presidents Juvénal Habyarimana of Rwanda and Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi—both Hutus—who were returning from peace talks in Arusha, Tanzania. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ This event sparked unimaginable violence. Yet, the RPF's rise to power under Paul Kagame has not led to reconciliation but rather the extension of military campaigns into the DRC, masked as defensive operations. The costs of this for the Congolese people have been devastating. Before the Rwandan genocide, there had been a similar atrocity in Burundi, where Tutsis perpetrated violence against Hutus and Twas. An estimated 300,000 people, mostly Hutus, were killed during this genocide—yet the world remains largely silent. This silence is, perhaps, maintained by the international protection of Tutsis as an endangered group, despite their political dominance in Rwanda since 1994. This is in large part a result of Rwanda's position as a Western proxy state in the region. A principled account of the history of violence in the region, and a principled political response to the violence, must be even handed and guided by facts and evidence. We also need to face an inconvenient fact which is that while it is crucial to understand that the devastation of the Congo has been backed by imperialism, via Rwanda as a proxy state, imperialism as worked through a Tutsi supremacist ideology in the region. This should not surprise us in light of the way that imperialism has worked through claims to ethnic and racial superiority elsewhere, such as apartheid South Africa and Israel. It is important to note that when Tutsis hold power in a particular country within the region, peace tends to prevail. However, when a Hutu comes to power, instability usually follows, often leading to war. This pattern is evident in Uganda, where Yoweri Museveni, after overthrowing Idi Amin, remained unchallenged from 1986 to the present day. Similar dynamics are observable in Rwanda, South Sudan, and other states led by Tutsis. The power of the ideology of Tutsi supremacy has enabled supremacist Tutsi elites to maintain a belief in their unique capability to govern, dismissing other ethnic groups—Hutus, Twas, Bantus, and Pygmies—as unworthy of leadership. This mindset mirrors supremacist ideologies elsewhere in the world, including some aspects of the system of caste in India, resulting in systems akin to apartheid. In Rwanda only Tutsis have occupied significant positions in government since 1994, while Hutus and Twas are excluded entirely. This blatant ethnic stratification directly contradicts Paul Kagame's portrayal of Rwanda as a nation healed of ethnic divisions. The international community, including the progressive nations of the Global South and the international left, must take stock of its failure to intervene during the 1994 genocide, where the Rwandan government accused the UN of participating, directly or indirectly, in the killings of Tutsis. This same international complicity was evident when Mobutu's coup toppled Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, leading to Lumumba's brutal murder in 1961. The DRC has suffered ever since, its sovereignty undermined by foreign intervention and exploitation. The populations of the most affected provinces in Eastern DRC—North and South Kivu—have long accused the UN of collaborating with militia groups, including M23, and creating other factions. The UN has also been accused of involvement in illicit mineral trade, supplying arms to armed groups, and enabling conflict. Since its mission in the DRC began in 2001, MONUSCO's presence has been marked by allegations of corruption, sexual violence, and exploitation. These failures have been weaponised by Rwanda to justify its military presence in the DRC. The UN hesitates to openly condemn these invasions for fear of further allegations of complicity in genocidal acts against Tutsis by Congolese forces and MONUSCO in collaboration with the FDLR—despite the absence of substantive evidence. This indecision has enabled nearly three decades of invasion and occupation. The time has come for principled international solidarity—not for deals that deepen dependency and enable exploitation—but for true sovereignty and self-determination for the Congolese people of all ethnicities. Mineral deals that hand control over to foreign powers are not solutions; they are the continuation of the problem. It is time for the world to stand with the DRC in demanding accountability, justice, and real peace. However, the DRC's willingness to negotiate a mineral-for-security deal with the United States is a signal of desperation. After decades of conflict and exploitation, Congolese leaders see no other path to stability. But the cost is steep: it formalises foreign control over the DRC's most valuable assets, undermines its sovereignty, and perpetuates the cycle of dependency and exploitation. It is a brazen assertion of Western neocolonialism. What is needed is not another extraction deal disguised as security but a genuine commitment to Congolese sovereignty. This includes holding Rwanda and Uganda accountable for their military campaigns and enforcing international sanctions against illegal mineral trading networks. It also means confronting Western complicity in the devastation of the Congo—starting with the corporations that profit from its suffering. The Congolese people have resisted before—against colonialism, against Mobutu's dictatorship, and against foreign invasion. They will resist again. But they need genuine international solidarity, not more deals that sell their future for temporary peace. The path forward requires a radical shift: respect for Congolese sovereignty, accountability for regional aggressors, and an end to the mineral deals that perpetuate conflict under the guise of stability. This is the time for global solidarity with the people of the DRC—not as charity, but as justice. Only then can we truly begin to end the blood-soaked path from Congolese mines to Western markets. **Shomari Mukandjwa and Raphaël Bahebwa are members of the Congolese Solidarity Campaign CSC *** The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Independent Media or IOL
France 24
02-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Wagner: Russian Goldmining in CAR bypasses international sanctions and funds mercenary expansion
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