M23 rebels kill 13 Peacekeepers in DR Congo

Thirteen soldiers serving as peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been killed by the M23 rebels.

South Africa’s military said nine of its soldiers had been killed in the eastern Congo city of Goma, which had helped push the rebel advance, while three Malbarians and a Uruguayan were also killed.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he had spoken to the leaders of Congo and Rwanda, calling for global violence.

The United Nations is pulling all non-essential personnel from Goma – a city of more than a million people – as fighting intensifies.

A UN security council meeting on the deadly encounter, originally set for Monday, has been moved to Sunday because of the escalating conflict.

The M23 group has called on the Congolese troops in Goma to surrender to avoid bloodshed. While the Congolese doctor has severed diplomatic ties with Rwanda, he has been accused of being behind the rebellion.

The move comes after m23 fighters He killed the military governor of Congo who visited the front line on Thursday. Earlier in January, the eastern Congolese villages of Minova and Masisi were captured.

Macron called for an end to the fight against the calls that separated him from the leaders of Congo and Rwanda on Saturday, his office said.

The EU’s Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas went ahead with the M23 and condemned the aid to Rwanda, AFP News Agency reports.

More management from President Joao Lourenco, the African Union of Rwanda and Congo, denounced the irresponsible actions of “M23 and its supporters” and called “civilian life” to “preserve civil life”, according to AFP News agency.

Fighting between the M23 and the Congolese army has intensified since the year, with the rebels taking control of more territory than ever before.

The conflict has already forced more than 400,000 people to flee their homes this year, according to the UN.

Last week local leaders said more than 200 civilians had been killed in areas captured by the M23, with hospitals treating hundreds of patients in Goma.

Martin Gordon, an Angular bishop of Goma, said that in Goma, the BBC had gone “a long way” in the country’s fighting and that people “will stand for peace”.

In recent days, citizens of several countries have left Goma, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the United States.

Human Rights Watch has warned of escalating risks to civilians as the Congolese army battles M23 rebels. The humanitarian group has accused both sides of committing serious abuses against civilians.

The UN has warned that the ongoing conflict is worsening the humanitarian crisis in the region.

M23 has taken control of the vast mineral-rich Congo Swates in eastern Congo since 2021, displacing hundreds of thousands of people as a result.

DR Congo and the UN have said that M23 is being protected by Rwanda. The Rwandan authorities have neither confirmed nor denied this.

Rwanda has previously said Congolese authorities were working with some of those responsible for the 1994 Rwandan genocide of ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

M23 was formed in 2012 as an exterminator of other rebel groups to protect the Tutsi population in the east of DR Congo.

However, Rwandan critics accuse the m23 of using Eastern Congo’s minerals such as gold, cobalt and tantalum.