Latest news with #Monusco
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
UN tight-lipped on outcome of talks with Congolese rebels
The head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo has held talks with Rwanda-backed rebels about protecting civilians in areas under their control in the east. Bintou Keita, the UN secretary general's special representative, said the rebels spoke of wanting a peaceful solution to the crisis, which escalated in January with their capture of the major city of Goma. She said she had brought "a spirit of listening and exchange" to the discussions in Goma on Friday. Little more detail has been released about any progress made at the summit. But in a short written statement, Ms Kieta said it formed part of ongoing "joint efforts begun several months ago for the benefit of the population", and that it came at a critical moment. Photos released from the meeting showed Ms Keita boarding a helicopter towards the eastern warzone for the summit, and also of her team sat across from leaders of the Congo River Alliance - which includes the M23 rebel group. These were not the UN-led first talks since the takeover of Goma, but they are the highest profile. Earlier this year the UN peacekeeping force, known as Monusco, was unable to stop the rebel group advancing and seizing large swathes of territory from the Congolese army. M23 rebels attacked some Monusco peacekeepers. Since the start of this year, the M23 has made major advances in the mineral-rich east, including taking Goma in January. The conflict has led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians in the last few months, with thousands of people killed. Airports in the cities of Goma and Kivumu remain closed and livelihoods have been disrupted, with many civil servants and other workers not receiving their pay. On Friday, almost 250 South African soldiers who were deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo arrived back home as the first part of a phased withdrawal from the eastern warzone. They had been part of a force sent by the southern African bloc (Sadc) to assist the Congolese army, but 20 of its soldiers were later killed during an M23 advance which prompted the decision to leave. At a meeting on Saturday, Monusco said its leader Ms Keita met a top Sadc commander in a show of mutual appreciation for the "support and solidarity" they had shown each other "in these recent, difficult months". Additional reporting by Emery Makumeno, Samba Cyzuzo and Cecilia Macaulay What's the fighting in DR Congo all about? Ex-DR Congo president returns from self-imposed exile, party says Rare antelope captured on camera as experts say under 100 exist Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Focus on Africa This Is Africa
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
UN tight-lipped on outcome of talks with Congolese rebels
The head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo has held talks with Rwanda-backed rebels about protecting civilians in areas under their control in the east. Bintou Keita, the UN secretary general's special representative, said the rebels spoke of wanting a peaceful solution to the crisis, which escalated in January with their capture of the major city of Goma. She said she had brought "a spirit of listening and exchange" to the discussions in Goma on Friday. Little more detail has been released about any progress made at the summit. But in a short written statement, Ms Kieta said it formed part of ongoing "joint efforts begun several months ago for the benefit of the population", and that it came at a critical moment. Photos released from the meeting showed Ms Keita boarding a helicopter towards the eastern warzone for the summit, and also of her team sat across from leaders of the Congo River Alliance - which includes the M23 rebel group. These were not the UN-led first talks since the takeover of Goma, but they are the highest profile. Earlier this year the UN peacekeeping force, known as Monusco, was unable to stop the rebel group advancing and seizing large swathes of territory from the Congolese army. M23 rebels attacked some Monusco peacekeepers. Since the start of this year, the M23 has made major advances in the mineral-rich east, including taking Goma in January. The conflict has led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians in the last few months, with thousands of people killed. Airports in the cities of Goma and Kivumu remain closed and livelihoods have been disrupted, with many civil servants and other workers not receiving their pay. On Friday, almost 250 South African soldiers who were deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo arrived back home as the first part of a phased withdrawal from the eastern warzone. They had been part of a force sent by the southern African bloc (Sadc) to assist the Congolese army, but 20 of its soldiers were later killed during an M23 advance which prompted the decision to leave. At a meeting on Saturday, Monusco said its leader Ms Keita met a top Sadc commander in a show of mutual appreciation for the "support and solidarity" they had shown each other "in these recent, difficult months". Additional reporting by Emery Makumeno, Samba Cyzuzo and Cecilia Macaulay What's the fighting in DR Congo all about? Ex-DR Congo president returns from self-imposed exile, party says Rare antelope captured on camera as experts say under 100 exist Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Focus on Africa This Is Africa
BBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- BBC News
M23 summit: UN tight-lipped on outcome of talks with Congolese rebels
The head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo has held talks with Rwanda-backed rebels about protecting civilians in areas under their control in the Keita, the UN secretary general's special representative, said the rebels spoke of wanting a peaceful solution to the crisis, which escalated in January with their capture of the major city of said she had brought "a spirit of listening and exchange" to the discussions in Goma on more detail has been released about any progress made at the summit. But in a short written statement, Ms Kieta said it formed part of ongoing "joint efforts begun several months ago for the benefit of the population", and that it came at a critical released from the meeting showed Ms Keita boarding a helicopter towards the eastern warzone for the summit, and also of her team sat across from leaders of the Congo River Alliance - which includes the M23 rebel were not the UN-led first talks since the takeover of Goma, but they are the highest this year the UN peacekeeping force, known as Monusco, was unable to stop the rebel group advancing and seizing large swathes of territory from the Congolese army. M23 rebels attacked some Monusco the start of this year, the M23 has made major advances in the mineral-rich east, including taking Goma in conflict has led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians in the last few months, with thousands of people in the cities of Goma and Kivumu remain closed and livelihoods have been disrupted, with many civil servants and other workers not receiving their Friday, almost 250 South African soldiers who were deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo arrived back home as the first part of a phased withdrawal from the eastern had been part of a force sent by the southern African bloc (Sadc) to assist the Congolese army, but 20 of its soldiers were later killed during an M23 advance which prompted the decision to a meeting on Saturday, Monusco said its leader Ms Keita met a top Sadc commander in a show of mutual appreciation for the "support and solidarity" they had shown each other "in these recent, difficult months". Additional reporting by Emery Makumeno, Samba Cyzuzo and Cecilia Macaulay You may also be interested in: What's the fighting in DR Congo all about?Ex-DR Congo president returns from self-imposed exile, party saysRare antelope captured on camera as experts say under 100 exist Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
TimesLIVE
30-04-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Red Cross escorts DRC troops from UN base in rebel-held Goma to Kinshasa
Hundreds of Congolese soldiers and police officers seeking refuge at the United Nations' base in Goma since the eastern city's capture in January are being transferred to Kinshasa, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Wednesday. ICRC will escort the now-unarmed soldiers and police officers as well as their families from the Monusco peacekeeping mission's site to the Democracy Republic of Congo's (DRC) capital over the course of several days, it said. According to Monusco, some 1,400 people — mostly soldiers — have taken refuge in its Goma base since late January. "In view of the complexity of the operation and the risks associated with it, the ICRC calls for respect for international humanitarian law and a sense of responsibility on the part of all actors," it said. In an escalation of a long-running conflict rooted in the spillover of Rwanda's 1994 genocide and the struggle over DRC's vast mineral resources, Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized Goma, eastern DRC's largest city, in late January and Bukavu, the area's second-largest city, weeks later.
The Guardian
07-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
The fall of Goma: 16 days of chaos and fear
22 January: In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, people trying to escape the fighting farther south flee across Lake Kivu from Minova, arriving in the city of Goma five days before it falls to the rebel M23 forces. 22 January: The internally displaced people are fleeing clashes between the M23 rebels and the Congolese army in the Kalehe area, south of Minova. 22 January: People move from the Nzulo camp for internally displaced people on the outskirts of Goma, into the city. 23 January: Usama Mukulu locks up his store in a deserted street in Goma city centre as the rebels draw closer. 25 January: Members of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (Monusco) oversee the evacuation of non-essential UN staff as fighting reaches the outskirts of the city. 25 January: Non-essential UN staff and their families enter the Monusco compound as they evacuate Goma. 29 January: After seizing Goma, the M23 rebel group expels mercenary troops who had been fighting with the Congolese army. The mercenaries, many of whom are eastern Europeans, were marched across the border to Rwanda. 29 January: Military uniforms and equipment lie in the streets of Goma, abandoned by Congolese army soldiers as they fled ahead of the advancing M23 rebels. 30 January: Corneille Nangaa, centre, the leader of the AFC rebel alliance that includes M23, holds a press conference at the Hotel Serena in Goma. 30 January: Civilians watch as members of the M23 rebel group patrol the streets. 30 January: Local men and boys are taken in trucks to training camps. 30 January: Members of the M23 rebel group patrol the streets. 30 January: Civilians draw water from Lake Kivu. 31 January: Dr Sidibe Abdourahmane and his colleagues operate on a patient with a suspected shrapnel wound at Goma's CBCA Ndosho hospital. 1 February: Wounded people are treated at the CBCA Ndosho hospital. 2 February: Noella Kavira sits as her friend braids her hair at a school in Goma, where they are taking refuge with their families. 2 February: A civilian walks past the body of a soldier. 3 February: Red Cross team members bury victims of the fighting at the ITIG cemetery in Goma. 3 February: A reference tag marks a burial at the cemetery. 3 February: Benedicte Kyayi takes down her tent in the Mugunga camp where she took refuge with her family during the fighting. She and other displaced people have started returning to their villages. 3 February: People who were displaced returning home. 4 February: A Monusco armoured vehicle drives through Goma. 5 February: Traders sell goods in streets damaged by fighting. 5 February: People stand in front of a petrol station damaged in the fighting. 6 February: Willy Ngoma, an M23 spokesperson (in military fatigues), at a public meeting held by the rebels at the Unity stadium in Goma. 6 February: Civilians at the M23 meeting in the Unity stadium.
