M23 rebels kill 13 foreign peacekeepers in DR Congo

Thirteen soldiers serving in the peacekeeping forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo were killed in clashes with rebels from the M23 group.

The South African army reported that nine of her soldiers had been killed, helping to repel rebels’ advance to the city of Goma, in the eastern part of the DR Congo, while three Malawians and one Uruguayan were also killed.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he was talking to the leaders of DR Congo and Rwanda against the backdrop of global calls to end violence.

The United Nations organization withdraws all the insignificant staff from Goma, a city with more than one million people – as the fighting intensifies.

The UN Security Council meeting on deadly clashes, initially scheduled for Monday, was moved to Sunday due to the escalating conflict.

The M23 Group called on Congoan troops in Goma to surrender to avoid bloodshed. While DR Congo interrupted his diplomatic ties with a neighboring Rwanda, accusing the country of being behind the rebellion.

The move comes after M23 fighter jets killed a Congoan military governor who was visiting the front line on Thursday. Earlier in January, they conquered the key Eastern Congoy cities of Minova and Massisi.

Macron called for the end of the fighting in separate conversations with the leaders of DR Congo and Rwanda on Saturday, his cabinet reported.

Foreign Policy High Representative Kaja Kalas has called on M23 to suspend its offensive and condemned Rwanda’s support for the group, AFP reports.

An additional condemnation came from Angolas President Joao Lurenko, the African Union mediator between Rwanda and Dr. Congo, who condemned the “irresponsible actions of the M23 and his supporters” and called for “immediate termination” of the fighting for the life of civilians, according to the AFP news agency S

The fighting between the M23 and the Army of the DR Congo have been intensified since the beginning of the year, with the rebels taking control of more territory than ever.

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

Local leaders said last week, more than 200 civilians were killed in areas conquered by M23, with Hospital hospitals treating hundreds of patients.

Martin Gordon, Bishop of Anglican in Goma, told the BBC that the country’s fighting continued “too long” and people “will do everything for peace.”

In the last few days, several countries have called on their citizens to leave Goma, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the United States.

Human Rights Watch has warned of increasing risks to civilians, while the Congoan army fights with the M23 rebels. The humanitarian group has accused both sides of serious attacks on civilians.

The UN warned that the ongoing conflict worsen the humanitarian crisis in the region.

The M23 has taken control of huge parts of the Eastern DRO -rich minerals since 2021. As a result, hundreds of thousands of people were displaced.

DR Congo and the UN say the M23 is supported by Rwanda. Authorities in Rwanda neither confirmed nor denied it.

Earlier, Rwanda said the authorities in the DR Congo were working with some of the responsible for genocide in Rwanda in 1994 against ethnic tuts and moderate Hutu.

The M23 was formed as a branch of another rebel group in 2012, allegedly to protect the population of Tutsi in the eastern part of DR Congo, which has long complained about persecution and discrimination.

However, Rwanda’s critics accuse her of using M23 for looting minerals in the eastern part of Congo such as gold, cobalt and tantalum.