Goma jail inmates break out as M23 rebels advance

The M23 rebel group took control of the city on Monday, January 27, and more than 4,400 prisoners broke out of Munzenze Central Prison in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
According to local media accounts, the prisoners left the facility after several of its areas were set on fire.

Women and a baby who was with an imprisoned mother were among the 10 or more prisoners who perished in the fire, according to Radio Okapi.

Prisoners were seen fleeing on camera as smoke billowed from a few of the facilities.

At two in the morning on January 27, the M23 rebels said that they had taken over Goma after fierce combat with the FDLR genocidal militia, the Congolese army coalition (FARDC), local Wazalendo groups, Burundian forces, Southern African troops, and European mercenaries.

Goma’s seizure signaled a significant uptick in the conflict, which has been going on since late 2021. On the afternoon of Monday, heavy artillery was still audible in Goma and its surrounding areas.

The rebels’ conquest of the Goma region and the subsequent assassination of Maj Gen Peter Cirimwami, the military governor of North Kivu, on Thursday caused the fighting in eastern DR Congo to intensify this week.
Goma’s predicament has attracted a lot of regional and global attention.

Kenyan President William Ruto has called for an emergency East African Community (EAC) conference and an urgent ceasefire to resolve the growing situation.

Sunday saw the M23 rebels halt operations on Lake Kivu and restrict Goma’s airspace.

Since late 2021, the M23 insurrection has been raging, which has made relations between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo worse.

Rwanda rejects Kinshasa’s accusation that Kigali facilitates the rebel organization. Concerns have been raised by Rwanda over the Congolese army’s cooperation with the FDLR, a terrorist organization recognized by the UN that was responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

In light of the increased tensions, DR Congo declared on January 24 that its embassy in Kigali will close.

Congolese military personnel turned themselves in to the rebels as the crisis developed on Sunday night, giving their guns to MONUSCO, the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Numerous armed Congolese soldiers sought safety in Rwanda on Monday. They were later disarmed. The soldiers entered Rwanda at the Grande Barriere border checkpoint in Rubavu District.