Dozens of senior military officials in DR Congo have been sommoned by the army as part of an investigation into the debacle of losses to the M23 rebels since at least mid-2022, local media reports said. Former Chief of General Staff of the Congolese armed forces (FARDC), Lt Gen Christian Tshiwewe, is among at least 25 general officers, who will be quizzed about what led to the fall of Bunagana and other losses in eastern DR Congo, according to a leaked letter by the military inspectorate general to the Chief of the General Staff of FARDC dated July 29, 2025. ALSO READ: AFC/M23 accuses Kinshasa of carrying out drone attacks amid Doha talks An attachment to the letter also mentions Maj Gen Chicko Tshitambwe, former FARDC deputy chief of staff for operations, who also led key operations in North and South Kivu provinces, and Maj Gen Sylvain Ekenge, the current army spokesperson, among the officers who will receive summons. Some of the officers are in military detention, according to the letter, and they will be questioned from there. ALSO READ: What does the capture of Goma mean for M23 rebels and their grievances? The fall of Bunagana, Goma and Bukavu Bunagana, a town at the border with Uganda, fell into the hands of the M23 rebels in mid-2022, becoming the FARDC's biggest loss in the war that began in late 2021. Videos showed FARDC soldiers fleeing across the border into Uganda with their guns and other military equipment. The M23, which is now part of a larger rebel movement, the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), have since taken more territory in eastern DR Congo. The rebels have for about eight months controlled Goma and Bukavu, the largest cities in eastern DR Congo, which are also provincial capitals of North and South Kivu, respectively. ALSO READ: M23 capture Bukavu city in latest advance After more than two years of fighting and failed ceasefire agreements and regional peace efforts, in late January, the AFC/M23 rebels captured Goma, a key humanitarian city home to some two million people. Bukavu fell in mid-February as fighting escalated. The Congolese government and the AFC/M23 rebels held their first direct talks in April, thanks to mediation by Qatar. On July 19, the two parties signed the declaration of principles for a peace deal that would be signed on August 18. ALSO READ: M23 commander who took part in seizure of Goma links FDLR to MONUSCO ALSO READ: Timeline of events before and after M23 entered Goma The deadline to sign the Doha peace agreement that could put an end to the 30-year, episodic conflict passed as hostilities had renewed on the ground. As Kinshasa and AFC/M23 representatives returned to Doha for renewed negotiations on Tuesday, August 19, the rebels accused the government coalition of carrying out drone and heavy artillery attacks. Multiple peace efforts, including those by regional blocs and the African Union, have been initiated since mid-2022. The East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) deployed separate regional military missions, in 2023 and 2024, and they were withdrawn.
