Belgium seeks action as Goma in eastern Congo falls to M23 rebels (VIDEO)

‘The situation is unacceptable,’ says Quintin. ‘It is a violation of international and humanitarian law. Sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected by all, at all times and in all places. The humanitarian situation is deteriorating by the hour.’

Mr Quintin now believes it is time for action. ‘A declaration is no longer enough. We have noticed that nothing has changed on the ground. We need to take action.’ What exactly that action entails, the foreign minister was not yet ready to reveal, but it may include a package of sanctions against Rwanda, the Congo neighbour which supports the M23 rebels.

M23 rebels take Goma

After hours of gunfire and explosions, the streets of Goma are now quiet. M23 rebels say they have taken control of the city setting the Congolese government army to flight. The city, on the northern shore of Lake Kivu and close to the border with Rwanda, had been completely surrounded by M23 rebels for a while now.

Last night, the rebels announced they were poised to take the town. In no time at all, they have now succeeded. There is ‘mass panic’ in the city, says UN special representative Bintou Keita. ‘M23 is using residents as human shields, while others are fleeing for their lives. Airspace over the city was also closed. In other words, we are trapped.’ The UN representative indicated that her organisation was temporarily moving non-essential personnel out of the city.

According to initial reports, the Congolese government army quickly surrendered to the rebels. Meanwhile, Congolese armed forces are being heavily criticised, says Elles van Gelder, Africa correspondent for Dutch media outlet NOS. ‘The Congolese military have repeatedly been accused of not protecting the civilian population adequately. Goma is the city everybody fled to, the last safe place in eastern Congo. Now that is no longer the case either.’

Last night the Uruguayan army, which is in Goma as part of the UN peacekeeping mission, reported that several Congolese soldiers had already laid down their arms. ‘More than 100 Congolese government soldiers are in the facilities of the ‘Siempre Presente’ base awaiting the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) process,’ the statement reads.

Photos accompanying the statement show armed men registering with the peacekeeping forces, dressed in a mix of military uniforms and civilian clothes.

The East African Community (EAC) is holding a summit on the violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo ‘within 48 hours’ Kenyan President William Ruto announced on Sunday evening. Present at that summit will be Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame. The EAC is an intergovernmental organisation whose members include Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and South Sudan.

A forgotten conflict

The battle between M23 rebels and the Congolese government army is one of the longest-running wars on the African continent. Yet it has also been called ‘the forgotten conflict’, as the international community's focus in recent years has mainly been on conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

oThe M23 rebel force, mainly composed of former Congolese Tutsi soldiers, rebelled against the government of the then Congolese president Joseph Kabila in 2012. The rebels are supported by neighbouring Rwanda.

The conflict revolves around ethnic tensions, economic interests and control over natural resources. Congo’s mineral riches are immense. The country is one of the world's richest sources of diamonds, gold, copper, coltan, cobalt, tin, tantalum and lithium.

This is also the case in the Goma area. The soil there is rich in coltan, a mineral that can store electricity and is very important in the production of smartphones and computers. In recent years the rebels have managed to take control of most of the coltan mines, and the main smuggling route to Rwanda is also entirely controlled by M23.

Large refugee influx

The conflict has led to mass displacement, human rights’ violations and humanitarian crises. International efforts were made to stop the violence and promote peace, but these struggle to contain the violence. Many people fled to Goma because they hoped they would be safe in the city.

‘M23 has been pushing citizens to the brink for decades, and now people are once again fleeing,’ explains NOS correspondent Van Gelder. ‘We already saw yesterday that people from the outskirts of the city, where the refugee camps are, were seeking safety in the city centre. There, too, they now face the M23 rebels. People can stay indoors, but by no means everyone has a roof over their heads.’

According to the United Nations, since early January, 400,000 people have been displaced by the fighting. In the past 48 hours, two South African UN peacekeepers and one Uruguayan blue beret were killed, while 11 others have been injured and hospitalised.

At the start of a UN security council meeting yesterday UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated his ‘strongest condemnation’ of the M23 offensive that can count on ‘the support of Rwandan forces’. The UN calls on the Congolese rebels immediately to cease all hostile actions and withdraw, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Video

Our video shows social media footage of M23 rebels entering the metropolis of Goma.  The rebel forces have called for calm.  The gates of a prison known to hold 3,000 inmates were opened.  Rwandan media show Congolese government soldiers surrendering and handing in weapons to the UN.  Water and electricity supplies have been cut as loud explosions were heard across the city.  Ethnic tensions and control of diamond and lithium mines fuel the conflict.