The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is severing diplomatic ties with Rwanda and the United Nations Security Council has called an emergency meeting as the fighting between the Congolese army and the M23 armed group intensifies.
The three-year-old M23 rebellion in DRC’s mineral-rich east has intensified this month, with the rebels seizing control of more territory, prompting the UN to warn of the risk of a broader regional war.
The Congolese troops and the peacekeepers are trying to stop an M23 advance on the eastern city of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.
M23, or the March 23 Movement, is an armed group that broke away from the DRC army more than 10 years ago. Since its resurgence in 2022, the group has continued to gain ground in the eastern DRC.
The DRC and the UN accuse Rwanda of supporting M23 with troops and weapons. Rwanda denies the charge.
At least nine peacekeepers, including two from the UN’s peacekeeping force MONUSCO, have been killed in the fighting in the eastern DRC, according to an Al Jazeera tally.
