Minova Falls to M23 and AFC in the DRC (Rwanda)
Kanako Mita, Noriko Watanabe, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The Congo River Alliance (AFC), including the potent Tutsi-led M23 insurgents (backed by Rwanda), announced that the town of Minova in the eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo was taken. Hence, another setback for the armed forces of the DRC.
Minova is a key supply route to the provincial capital of Goma.
AP News reports, “The provincial governor of South Kivu, Jean-Jacques Purusi, confirmed the capture of Minova, adding that the rebels have also taken the mining towns of Lumbishi, Numbi and Shanje in the same province and the town of Bweremana in neighboring North Kivu province.”
Over one hundred different armed groups exist in eastern parts of the DRC. Accordingly, the mineral-rich region provides opportunities for ethnic, political, religious, and other forces to exploit. On top of this, Rwanda is known to support the M23 – and other regional intrigues along with the role of China remain murky.
The BBC reports, “There have been a number of diplomatic initiatives by neighboring countries and others to resolve the conflicts, which have failed.”
A few weeks earlier, the AFC and M23 took the town of Masisi. Accordingly, the recent peace talks between the DRC and Rwanda are in disarray.
The BBC also points out that the DRC and others accuse Rwanda of utilizing M23 forces to exploit the natural resources of the DRC in eastern areas (cobalt, gold, tantalum, and others).
In return, Rwanda accuses the authorities of the DRC of working alongside Hutu forces blamed for the genocide in Rwanda in 1994.
UN News reports, “Since the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) withdrew from South Kivu in June 2024, UN peacekeepers have focused on defending key positions in North Kivu, including Goma and Sake, where clashes between the M23, the Congolese Armed Forces and other armed groups persist.”
Modern Tokyo Times recently said, “Other militias and Islamists are causing mayhem in eastern parts of the country. For example, the Islamists of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) – emanating originally from Uganda – slaughter Christians like sheep in the DRC. Other militias are formed on ethnic, political, and regional causes fused with exploiting the natural resources of the DRC.”
Conflicts in the DRC, Ethiopia, Sudan, and other nations are underreported.
Recent peace talks between the DRC and Rwanda appear to be in freefall.
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