In a dramatic escalation of the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the M23 rebels on Jan. 26 seized Goma, the capital of North Kivu province on the Rwandan border. The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation, with the DRC accusing Rwanda of sending hundreds of troops across the border to support the M23. The DRC is caling for an arms embargo on Rwanda, and sanctions on its mineral exports.

Fighting has now subsided, but the rebels' hold on the city remains firm. A humanitarian crisis is fast deepening in the city, with hospitals overwhelmed and food running out. This is not the first time M23 has captured Goma. In 2012, the group briefly occupied the city before retreating to allow peace negotiations. The M23, named after a failed March 23, 2009 peace agreement with the Congolese government, claims to fight against persecution of Kinyarwanda-speaking Tutsi Congolese, many of whom have lived as refugees for over 30 years. Rwanda currently hosts nearly 100,000 of these refugees.

The current conflict pits M23 against a coalition of Congolese government forces (FARDC), the FDLR (a UN-sanctioned terrorist group linked to the 1994 Rwanda genocide), Burundian soldiers, European mercenaries, a South Africa-led SADC mission, and local militias known as Wazalendo. The FDLR and allied militias like the Mai Mai-Nyatura have for decades persecuted Congolese Tutsi communities.

The fall of Goma has sparked protests in the DRC capital, Kinshasa, with foreign embassies vandalized and set on fire, including those of Rwanda, South Africa, the US, Belgium and France. Amid the turmoil, President Felix Tshisekedi has promised a counter-offensive to retake Goma. He has appointed Maj. Gen. Somo Kakule Evariste as the new military governor of North Kivu, replacing Maj. Gen. Peter Cirimwami, who was killed by rebels on Jan. 23. 

The DRC's reliance on foreign mercenaries in the war in the east has drawn sharp criticism. Reports indicate that around 2,000 mercenaries, mostly from Eastern Europen countries such as Romania, have been hired to fight the M23. Nearly 300 of these mercenaries surrendered to M23 during the recent escalation and were handed over to Rwanda before being repatriated. (Great Lakes Voice, Jurist, Romania Insider, BBC News, UN News)