Fighting M23 rebels: Kenyan troops arrive in DR Congo’s volatile east

NATION AFRICA|NAIROBI: Kenyan soldiers landed in the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday, as part of a regional military operation targeting rebels in the conflict-torn region.

Their arrival comes as the M23 militia has surged across the DRC’s North Kivu province, capturing swathes of territory and inflaming tensions in central Africa. 

Last week, President William Ruto first flagged off a peace enforcement mission of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) that will assist the government of President Felix Tshisekedi in efforts to repel M23 rebels who have taken up critical positions in the mineral-rich North Kivu province.

“We all have a stake in a stable Democratic Republic of Congo and its security,” President Ruto said at the time.  

At the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Saturday morning, the soldiers were seen off by Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces General Robert Kibochi, who reminded them of their joint mission with other East African Community states to enforce peace. 

“Munaenda kupatana na majeshi ya Uganda, South Sudan, Burundi na Tanzania (You will work with troops from Uganda, South Sudan, Burundi and Tanzania),” he said, adding that their main mandate will be disarmament. 

KDF off to DRC to fight M23 rebels 

Two planes carrying about 100 Kenyan troops touched down in Goma airport on Saturday, according to AFP reporters present, where they were greeted by local dignitaries. 

A Kenyan commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Obiero, told reporters that their mission is “to conduct offensive operations” alongside Congolese forces, and to assist in disarming militias. 

“Insecurity is something which breaks up the social fabric,” he added, explaining that the Kenyan contingent would also work alongside humanitarian agencies in a bid to bring stability to the eastern DRC. 

Over 120 armed groups are active across eastern Congo, many of which are a legacy of regional wars that flared at the turn of the century.

Resurgent rebels

Heavy fighting between the army and the M23 was ongoing in Rugari in North Kivu on Friday, and power was disrupted in Goma, an important commercial hub of about one million people. 

A mostly Congolese Tutsi group, the M23 first leapt to prominence in 2012, briefly capturing Goma before being driven out.

But after lying dormant for years, the rebels took up arms again in late 2021 claiming the DRC had failed to honour a pledge to integrate them into the army, among other grievances. 

In June, the M23 captured the strategic town of Bunagana on the Ugandan border. 

And in recent weeks the rebels have won a string of victories against the Congolese army in North Kivu, dramatically increasing the territory under their control. 

The United Nations’ humanitarian agency OCHA estimates that recent fighting in North Kivu has displaced 188,000 people.

Diplomatic efforts

The M23’s resurgence has cratered relations between the DRC and its smaller neighbour Rwanda, which Kinshasa accuses of backing the M23.