Two weeks after taking hold of Masisi, the capital of Masisi territory, in DR Congo’s North Kivu Province, M23 rebels on Tuesday, January 21, captured another town, this time in South Kivu province, forcing government forces and allied militias to retreat, according to reports. Minova, the new town taken by the rebels, is a commercial hub on the shores of Lake Kivu in Kalehe territory that is about 45 kilometres from Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province. According to reports, Congolese government forces (FARDC) and their coalition allies, including Burundian soldiers, a host of Congolese militia groups, and the FDLR genocidal militia, have bases in Kalehe territory. ALSO READ: M23 rebels seize key town of Masisi in eastern DR Congo The M23 rebel group, which is part of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), has previously captured swathes of territory in North Kivu Province in a military conflict that has raged since late 2021. The fall of Minova could put the key eastern city of Goma under strain as the rebels now cut off a major supply route to the capital of North Kivu Province which is DR Congo’s main city in the east. Fighting between the rebels and the government coalition was reported in Kalehe on Monday. Videos shared on social media on Tuesday morning showed men in military attire, reportedly M23 fighters, walking into Minova town thronged by jubilant crowds of civilians. ALSO READ: Burundi denies reports of heavy losses of soldiers in fighting M23 rebels in DR Congo In one video, a rebel fighter identified as Col Nsabimana, who apparently is a native of Kalehe territory, is seen telling locals that the rebels were “ready to teach local MaiMai [militia] good military conduct.” Colonel Nsabimana avec les siens à Minova ce Matin, ça faisait 15ans qu'il n'a pas pu poser son pied dans son territoire Kalehe. Aujourd'hui il vient en libérateur. Les Burundais sont entrain de fuir avant même les petits Bandits civiles Wazalendo. pic.twitter.com/IVrAhnkIdA — Goma24 (@goma24news) January 21, 2025 “Even a FARDC soldier, who has hidden that he is our brother, he too will be welcome,” Nsabimana said in a mixture of Swahili and Lingala, adding that M23 rebels are ready to work with their compatriots, including government troops. “The ones we will not engage with are FDLR. They are Rwandans who should go back to their country,” he said. The FDLR is a UN-sanctioned terrorist group founded by remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. ALSO READ: Thabo Mbeki: Implementing Sun City Agreement, disarming FDLR only way to solve DR Congo crisis One of the more than 200 militia groups wrecking havoc in eastern DR Congo, the genocidal militia launched attacks on Rwandan territory over the past two decades. It is accused of spreading hate speech, genocide ideology and persecuting the Congolese Tutsi and Banyamulenge communities in eastern DR Congo. ALSO READ: Belgian lawyer on why genocide ideology doesn’t dissolve three decades after dispersion of genocidaires The Rwandan government has, for years, requested the Congolese government to decisively disarm FDLR and sever ties with the group that is at the heart of insecurity in the region, to no avail.
