PHOTOS: Border crossings slow down as Goma falls to M23 forces

Movement of people and goods at the Petite Barrière and Grande Barrière border crossings between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has slowed down significantly following the advance of the M23 rebel group, which claimed to have “successfully liberated” the neighbouring Congolese city of Goma. Goma is the provincial capital of North Kivu province in the eastern DRC where a government coalition, led by the Congolese armed forces (FARDC), has been fighting with M23 since 2021. ALSO READ: M23 rebels capture Goma, call for calm Goods are piling up at the Petite Barrière, causing concern among businesspeople who fear facing significant losses. No goods are crossing into DR Congo. Meanwhile, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) is evacuating its staff and their families from Goma town, estimated to number around 2,000, as a precautionary measure. Intermittent gunfire has been heard in Goma since the M23 advance began, continuing until the morning of Monday, January 25. Despite the escalating tensions in DR Congo, the government has not imposed any official border closures. “Rwanda has not closed Petite Barrière or any other border post in Rubavu District,” Alain Mukuralinda, Deputy Government Spokesperson, told The New Times. Crisis escalated The conflict escalated last week after the rebels captured new territory, followed by the killing of North Kivu’s Military Governor Peter Cirimwami and threatened to march on Goma. The government coalition has since suffered more losses, including the deaths of the FDLR top commander ‘Maj Gen’ Pacifique Ntawunguka, alias Omega, and soldiers of the South Africa-led SADC mission and the UN mission. In recent weeks, the M23 captured the towns of Minova, in South Kivu, and Masisi, in North Kivu. The rebels demand direct peace talks with the Congolese government, which has ruled out any possibility of talks with the rebels, calling them a terrorist movement. Regional initiatives have failed to end the war politically, with the Congolese government pursuing a military solution.

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PHOTOS: Border crossings slow down as Goma falls to M23 forces