Minova, a crucial town in South Kivu, is taken by M23 insurgents

According to reports, M23 rebels on Tuesday, January 21, conquered another town, this time in South Kivu region, forcing government soldiers and allied militias to flee two weeks after seizing Masisi, the capital of Masisi territory, in DR Congo’s North Kivu region.

In Kalehe territory, Minova, the newly captured rebel town, is a commercial center on the beaches of Lake Kivu, approximately 45 kilometers from Goma, the provincial seat of North Kivu. In Kalehe area, there are reportedly bases for Congolese government troops (FARDC) and its coalition partners, which include Burundian army, various Congolese militia organizations, and the FDLR genocidal militia.

A military struggle that has been raging since late 2021 has seen the M23 rebel group, a member of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), seize large areas of North Kivu Province. Since the rebels have cut off a vital supply line to the capital of North Kivu Province, the main city in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the fall of Minova may put pressure on Goma, a crucial city in the east.

There were reports of fighting in Kalehe on Monday between the government coalition and the rebels.

Videos circulated on social media Tuesday morning showed individuals dressed in military uniforms—possibly M23 fighters—entering Minova town amid joyful throngs of bystanders.

Apparently a resident of Kalehe area, a rebel soldier named Col Nsabimana is shown in one film informing the people that the rebels were “ready to teach local MaiMai [militia] good military conduct.”

“Even a FARDC soldier who has concealed the fact that he is our brother will be welcome,” Nsabimana stated in a blend of Swahili and Lingala, adding that M23 rebels are prepared to cooperate with their fellow citizens, even government soldiers.

We shall avoid interacting with FDLR. “They ought to return to their homeland because they are Rwandans,” he stated. Founded by the survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the FDLR is a terrorist organization recognized by the UN.

This murderous militia, one of more than 200 militia groups causing havoc in eastern DR Congo, has attacked Rwandan territory during the last 20 years. According to accusations, it persecutes the Banyamulenge and Tutsi populations in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and propagates hate speech and genocide doctrine.

For years, the Congolese government has been asked by the Rwandan government to firmly disarm the FDLR and cut off relations with the organization that is responsible for the region’s instability, but to no effect.