Armed fighters from the M23 group, which recently secured control over the strategically important eastern town of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), have begun a controversial operation to expel individuals they claim are illegal immigrants from Rwanda. Reports from the scene indicate that the group’s military spokesman, Willy Ngoma, publicly presented 181 men at Goma’s main sports stadium, branding them as “Rwandan subjects” without proper status in the DRC.
Witness accounts describe the spectacle, where the M23 fighters summarily burned identification documents held by those detained, asserting that the IDs were fraudulent. The group’s actions reportedly drew the ire and concern of humanitarian observers. Alongside the detained men, several hundred women and children, family members of those arrested, gathered at the stadium, brought there by trucks provided by the M23.
One of the detained individuals, who identified himself only as Eric, disclosed to reporters that he hailed from Karenga—an area in North Kivu known as a stronghold for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a militia formed by former Rwandan Hutu leaders involved in the 1994 genocide against Tutsis.
Early Saturday, humanitarian officials reported that 360 people were placed on buses bound for Rwanda. Eujin Byun, a representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), emphasized that any returns of refugees should follow international legal standards, ensuring that they are safe and voluntary. The convoy subsequently crossed into Rubavu, a town in western Rwanda, where local officials expressed their commitment to reintegrate the returnees into society with the rights and responsibilities of other citizens.
The M23, alongside Rwandan authorities, have leveled accusations against the DRC government, alleging it supports the FDLR. This narrative has been used as a justification for the M23’s military actions in the eastern region. Reports indicate that the families expelled by the M23 predominantly came from Karenga and had been living in a makeshift reception center for displaced persons located in Sake, approximately 20 kilometers from Goma.
In a related development earlier this year, the M23 handed over 20 suspected FDLR fighters, who were in Congolese Armed Forces uniforms, to Rwandan authorities, an act that the DRC government condemned as a “crude fabrication” aimed at undermining the integrity of its military forces. The ongoing conflict and subsequent humanitarian crises in the region continue to raise alarms, as civilian safety and wellbeing hang in the balance amidst the escalating tensions.
