Worldwide peacekeepers killed as preventing rages round japanese Congo’s key metropolis

GOMA, Congo — Preventing with M23 rebels in japanese Congo has left no less than 13 peacekeepers and international troopers lifeless, United Nations and military officers mentioned Saturday.

M23 has made vital territorial features in current weeks, encircling the japanese metropolis of Goma, which has round 2 million folks and is a regional hub for safety and humanitarian efforts.

The U.N. Safety Council moved up an emergency assembly on the escalating violence to Sunday morning (10 am EST). Congo requested the assembly, which had initially been scheduled for Monday.

On Saturday, Congo’s military mentioned it fended off an M23 offensive in the direction of Goma with the assistance of its allied forces, together with U.N. troops and troopers from the Southern African Improvement Group Mission, also called SAMIDRC.

“The Rwandan-backed M23 is clearly exploiting the presidential transition in the U.S. to advance on Goma — putting thousands more civilians at risk,” Kate Hixon, advocacy director for Africa at Amnesty Worldwide US, advised the Related Press.

Congo, the US and U.N. consultants accuse Rwanda of backing M23, which is principally made up of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese military greater than a decade in the past.

Rwanda’s authorities denies the declare, however final 12 months acknowledged that it has troops and missile methods in japanese Congo to safeguard its safety, pointing to a buildup of Congolese forces close to the border. U.N. consultants estimate there are as much as 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.

The burning wreckage of a white armored preventing car carrying UN markings may very well be seen on a highway between Goma and Sake on Saturday, the place a lot of the preventing was concentrated in current days.

A UN armoured personnel service burns, throughout clashes with M23 rebels exterior Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025.

Moses Sawasawa/AP

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Moses Sawasawa/AP

Two South African peacekeepers have been killed Friday, whereas a Uruguayan Blue Helmet was killed Saturday, a U.N. official advised The Related Press. The official spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t licensed to talk on the matter publicly.

Moreover, three Malawian peacekeepers have been killed in japanese Congo, the United Nations in Malawi mentioned Saturday.

Seven South African troopers from the SAMIDRC have been additionally killed throughout clashes with M23 during the last two days, South Africa’s division of protection mentioned in a press release.

Uruguay’s navy in a press release issued Saturday recognized its member killed in Congo as Rodolfo Álvarez, who was a part of the Uruguay IV Battalion. The unit, in line with the assertion, is working “uninterruptedly to comply with the United Nations mandate, as well as to guarantee the evacuation of non-essential civilian and military personnel from the city of Goma.”

“Various measures have been taken to improve the security of our troops, who are operating in adverse conditions,” the navy mentioned. It added that 4 Uruguayan peacekeepers have been additionally injured. Three of them remained in Goma whereas a fourth one was evacuated to Uganda for remedy.

Since 2021, Congo’s authorities and allied forces, together with SAMIDRC and U.N. troops, have been protecting M23 away from Goma.

The U.N peacekeeping power, also called MONUSCO, entered Congo greater than 20 years in the past and has round 14,000 peacekeepers on the bottom.

South Africa’s protection minister, Angie Motshekga, was visiting the nation’s troops stationed in Congo as a part of the U.N. peacekeeping mission the day the troopers have been killed.