Congo severs ties with Rwanda as eastern conflict escalates

26/1/2025 6:38

Congo has severed all diplomatic ties with Rwanda and South Africa said on Saturday that nine of its peacekeepers had been killed amid a surge in fighting with Rwanda-backed rebels in mineral-rich eastern Congo.



The three-year M23 insurgency in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has intensified in January with the M23 rebels seizing control of more territory than ever before, prompting the U.N. to warn of the risk of a broader regional war.



Congo and its allies said on Saturday they had pushed back M23 fighters, who were advancing on the provincial capital Goma. The sound of nearby heavy bombardment rocked the city in the early hours of Saturday.



Congo, the U.N. and others accuse neighbouring Rwanda of fuelling the conflict with its own troops and weapons. Rwanda denies this, but Congo's army said on Saturday that Rwandan snipers were responsible for the killing of North Kivu's military governor on the front line this week.