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Hundreds of Congolese soldiers, police officers, and their families are being evacuated from the rebel-held city of Goma to Kinshasa, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced Wednesday. The operation marks a rare moment of cooperation amid a worsening conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The personnel had been sheltering at the UN Stabilisation Mission in Congo (MONUSCO) base since January, after the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized control of Goma — a strategic city in North Kivu province — intensifying a conflict that has lasted for decades.
The evacuation, involving a 1,600-kilometre journey westward to the capital, is being carried out under an agreement between the Congolese government, M23, the UN, and the ICRC, which is acting as a neutral intermediary. Upon arrival in Kinshasa, the evacuees will be received by Congolese authorities, the ICRC said.
“We were disarmed because we had no choice, but we hope to reach Kinshasa,” one soldier told the Associated Press by phone. “We lost a battle, not the war.”
ICRC Goma chief Myriam Favier confirmed the transfers would take several days and emphasized the operation’s humanitarian nature. For security reasons, media coverage of the evacuation has been restricted.
Congolese military spokesperson Sylvain Ekenge welcomed the initiative, saying the armed forces “hope that this operation will be carried out in strict compliance with the commitments made,” while thanking the ICRC for its role.
The evacuation takes place against the backdrop of escalating violence in eastern Congo, where M23 continues to battle government forces despite a nominal agreement earlier this month to work toward a ceasefire. Over the weekend, renewed fighting was reported in Kaziba, South Kivu, between Congolese troops, allied militias, and M23.
M23 is one of over 100 armed groups operating in the mineral-rich east. The UN estimates that more than 7 million people have been displaced due to the ongoing conflict. A UN panel has reported that M23 is backed by around 4,000 Rwandan troops and has, at times, threatened to advance all the way to Kinshasa.
In February, the UN Human Rights Council launched a commission to investigate atrocities committed by all sides — including alleged summary executions and sexual violence — amid mounting concerns of war crimes.
The current conflict traces its roots to the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, when Hutu extremists fled across the border into Congo, triggering a cascade of proxy wars and militia violence that has left an estimated 6 million people dead since the mid-1990s.
