Democratic Violence escalates in eastern Congo - 400,000 on the run
The number of displaced people in the embattled resource-rich eastern Congo is exploding. Around 400,000 people have already fled the conflict between government troops and the M23 militia since the beginning of the year, according to a spokesperson for the UN refugee agency UNHCR in Geneva. This means that the number has almost doubled within a week.
24.01.2025, 17:41
SDA
The spokesman said that the violence and the humanitarian situation were worsening. Bombs had been dropped on refugee camps since last week. The result of the attacks: deaths, mass panic and renewed refugee movements.
A spokeswoman for the UN Office for Human Rights pointed out that sexualized violence was a "major factor" in this conflict. Armed groups are abducting, raping and enslaving women and girls, she said. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called on the neighboring state of Rwanda to stop all support for the M23, the spokeswoman said.
Both the Congolese government in Kinshasa and UN experts accuse Rwanda of supporting the M23 with weapons, among other things. According to an expert report, there are more than 1,000 Rwandan soldiers in the region. In addition, the M23, which was mainly active in the province of North Kivu for years, has expanded its activities and is fighting in the neighboring province of South Kivu, from which UN peacekeepers were withdrawn last year.
Resource extraction under M23 control
The fighting is currently approaching the provincial capital of Goma in North Kivu, which is surrounded by numerous refugee camps. The army and M23 are fighting in particular for control of Sake, a town about 25 kilometers from Goma. The Red Cross in Goma reported an influx of injured people.
Eastern Congo has rich deposits of raw materials. The metal coltan is particularly valuable. The metal plays an important role in the manufacture of laptops, smartphones and electric car batteries. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the world's most important producers of coltan. The M23 controls the mining of coltan in the areas conquered by the militia.
