Rwanda-backed rebels move deeper into eastern Congo as UN reports executions and rapes

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Corneille Nangaa, leader of Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), a political-military movement of rebel groups including the M23, speaks during a press conference in Goma on January 30, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 01 February 2025
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Rwanda-backed rebels move deeper into eastern Congo as UN reports executions and rapes

  • UN spokesman says 700 people have been killed and 2,800 injured in fighting between DR Congo's army and M23 rebels in Goma and the vicinity
  • The Southern African regional bloc, of which Congo is a member, resolved Friday to maintain its peacekeeping force deployed in eastern Congo in 2023

GOMA, Congo: Rwanda-backed rebels were quickly expanding their presence in eastern Congo after capturing Goma, the region’s major city, the UN said Friday, also expressing concerns over executions it learned were carried out by the rebels following a major escalation of their yearslong rebellion.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the World Health Organization and its partners conducted an assessment with Congo’s government between Jan. 26-30 “and report that 700 people have been killed and 2,800 injured” in Goma and the vicinity.
“These numbers are expected to rise as more information becomes available,” he said.
The rebels were now about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from South Kivu’s provincial capital of Buakavu and “seem to be moving quite fast,” UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said at a press briefing on Friday. M23 has captured several towns after seizing neighboring Goma, a humanitarian hub critical for many of the 6 million people displaced by the conflict.
The central African nation’s military has been weakened after it lost hundreds of personnel and foreign mercenaries surrendered to the rebels after the fall of Goma.
Goma’s capture has brought humanitarian operations to “a standstill, cutting off a vital lifeline for aid delivery across eastern (Congo),” said Rose Tchwenko, country director for Mercy Corps aid group in Congo. “The escalation of violence toward Bukavu raises fears of even greater displacement, while the breakdown of humanitarian access is leaving entire communities stranded without support.”
The Southern African regional bloc, of which Congo is a member, resolved Friday to maintain its peacekeeping force deployed in eastern Congo in 2023. The group’s chairman, Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa, called for “bold” and “decisive steps” to boost the force’s capacity. At their meeting in Zimbabwe’s capital Harare, the 16-nation bloc also pledged to work toward a ceasefire.




Leaders of the Southern African Development Community, including chairman Emmerson Mnangagwa (center), pose for a photo ahead of the group's extraordinary summit in Harare, Zimbabwe, on January 31, 2025, to discuss the escalating conflict in the eastern DR Congo. (AFP)

At the United Nations, France circulated a draft Security Council resolution to all 15 members Friday urging a halt to the current offensive in eastern Congo, the withdrawal of “foreign elements,” and a resumption of talks to achieve a cessation of hostilities, France’s UN Ambassador Nicolas De Riviere said. He expressed hope it can be adopted soon.
The M23 group is the most potent of more than 100 armed groups vying for control in Congo’s mineral-rich east, which holds vast deposits critical to much of the world’s technology. They are backed by around 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to UN experts, far more than in 2012 when they first captured Goma for days in a conflict driven by ethnic grievances.
Observers say that unlike the rebels’ first takeover in Congo, their withdrawal could be more difficult now.
The rebels have been emboldened by Rwanda, which feels Congo is ignoring its interests in the region and failed to meet demands of previous peace agreements, according to Murithi Mutiga, program director for Africa at the Crisis Group think tank. “Ultimately, this is a failure of African mediation (because) the warning signs were always there,” said Mutiga.
Executions, rape as human rights crisis worsens
UN human rights office spokesman Jeremy Laurence spoke at a briefing on Friday about the worsening human rights crisis in the aftermath of the rebellion, including bomb strikes on at least two internally displaced persons camps that killed an unspecified number of people.
“We have also documented summary executions of at least 12 people by M23” from Jan. 26-28, Laurence said, adding that the group has also occupied schools and hospitals in the province and are subjecting civilians to forced conscription and forced labor.
Congolese forces have also been accused of sexual violence as fighting rages on in the region, Laurence said.
“We are verifying reports that 52 women were raped by Congolese troops in South Kivu, including alleged reports of gang rape,” he said.
 




Members of the M23 armed group arrive in a pickup truck at the compound where residents gather for a protest against the Congolese government, expressing support for the M23 armed group in Goma on January 31, 2025. (AFP)

Rebels repelled as young people volunteer to fight
An attack by the rebels in Kalehe territory, about 140 kilometers (about 85 miles) from the South Kivu provincial capital, on Thursday was repelled by security forces, said Lt. Gen. Pacifique Masunzu, who commands a key military defense zone in South Kivu.
Congolese military bases in Bukavu were being emptied on Thursday to reinforce those along the way to the provincial capital, residents have told The Associated Press.

Dujarric, the UN spokesman, said the United Nations has about 1,200 international and national staff and dependents in Bukavu. “We’re moving some people out of there as a precaution,” he said.
Hundreds of young people on Friday registered as volunteers to join military training in the provincial capital, according to Gabriel Kasanji, a local administrative officer. This follows Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi’s call on Thursday for a mass military mobilization.
As he took office on Friday as the new governor of North Kivu, which includes Goma, Maj. Gen. Somo Kakule Evariste vowed to “move as soon as possible” to Goma to restore government control.
“This is not the time for speeches,” the general said. “The flame of resistance will never be extinguished.”
A devastated Goma grapples with occasional shooting and unexploded ordnance
In Goma, UN peacekeeping chief Lacroix said “the situation remains tense and volatile, with occasional shooting continuing within the city.”
Overall, calm is gradually being restored and water and electricity have been restored in much of Goma, but the airport remains closed and the runway unusable, he said.
The UN peacekeeping force in the city, known as MONUSCO, continues to grapple with unexploded ordnance that is “a very serious obstacle to freedom of movement,” Lacroix said.
“We are going to struggle until we restore democracy,” said Corneille Nangaa, one of the political leaders of M23. “From a failed state to a modern state.”


Belgium probes death of Canadian festival-goer at Tomorrowland

Updated 5 sec ago
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Belgium probes death of Canadian festival-goer at Tomorrowland

The Antwerp prosecutor’s office said they were looking to establish what caused the death
The event’s organizers said the woman became unwell at the festival

BRUSSELS: Belgian authorities said Saturday they have opened an investigation into the death of a Canadian woman who fell ill at Tomorrowland, one of the world’s largest electronic music festivals.

The Antwerp prosecutor’s office told AFP they were looking to establish what caused the death of the 35-year-old, one of tens of thousands of festival-goers who attended the event’s opening night on Friday.

The event’s organizers said the woman became unwell at the festival, which is held in Boom, near Antwerp, and “received first aid on site” before being transferred to hospital, where she later died.

“This morning, we were saddened to learn of her death. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and loved ones,” said Tomorrowland spokeswoman Debby Wilmsen.

Featuring scores of DJs including David Guetta, Lost Frequencies and Charlotte de Witte, Tomorrowland draws electronic music enthusiasts from all over the world.

Around 400,000 people are expected to attend over two weekends.

The event was initially thrown into doubt this week after a fire destroyed its main stage. But organizers speedily put in place an “alternative setup,” and the festival went ahead as planned.

Ukraine evacuates 43 deportees held on Russian-Georgian border

Updated 16 min 37 sec ago
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Ukraine evacuates 43 deportees held on Russian-Georgian border

  • At least 56 Ukrainians were being held in a basement facility near the Russian-Georgian border, according to aid group Volunteers Tbilisi
  • Sybiga said 43 Ukrainians had been evacuated from Georgia via Moldova

KYIV: Ukraine said Saturday it had evacuated 43 of its citizens recently deported from Russia who were being held in Georgia in dire conditions, accusing Moscow of “weaponizing” deportations.

At least 56 Ukrainians, mostly prisoners who completed their sentences and were subsequently ordered to leave Russia, were being held in a basement facility near the Russian-Georgian border, according to aid group Volunteers Tbilisi.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said 43 Ukrainians, many lacking documents, had been evacuated from Georgia via Moldova, “including former political prisoner Andrii Kolomiyets.”

More people still remain in “difficult” conditions at the Russian-Georgian border, Sybiga said on X.

The treatment of those held at the border facility near the Dariali crossing is “inhumane,” said Maria Belkina, the head of Volunteers Tbilisi.

“They are without basic necessities — food, water, sanitation,” she told AFP, adding that some of the deportees had medical conditions, including suspected tuberculosis and HIV.

Russia may be accelerating deportations ahead of expected changes to Georgian migration laws in September, which are aimed at tightening entries, she added.

While Georgia has not officially closed the border to Ukrainian nationals, Belkina said a recent policy shift has delayed entry.

“Russia is weaponizing the deportation of Ukrainian citizens through Georgia,” Sybiga said, calling on Russia to transport the deportees directly to its border with Ukraine instead.

It was not clear how many people remained in the border facility, which only has 17 beds and no basic amenities and where some have been kept for weeks, according to Volunteers Tbilisi.

Rights groups estimate up to 800 more Ukrainians could be transferred to the border in the coming weeks.


Indian activists take Palestinian solidarity protest into major New Delhi market 

Updated 34 min ago
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Indian activists take Palestinian solidarity protest into major New Delhi market 

  • Protesters gathered at Nehru Place to spark greater awareness of Israel’s deadly war on Gaza
  • Many ordinary Indians lack knowledge of atrocities unfolding in Gaza, activists say 

NEW DELHI: Indian activists gathered for a Palestinian solidarity rally in one of New Delhi’s busiest commercial areas on Saturday, looking to raise public awareness of — and educate citizens on — Israel’s war crimes against the Palestinian people. 

Though support for Palestinian statehood was once an integral part of Indian foreign policy, the Indian government has moved closer to Tel Aviv in recent years and has largely remained quiet since Israel launched its deadly assault on Gaza in October 2023. New Delhi has been supplying Israeli forces with weapons and signed an agreement to send thousands of workers to Israel to replace their Palestinian counterparts. 

Indian civil society and students have taken to the streets in solidarity with Palestinians and protest against the government. On Saturday, protesters carried Palestinian flags, “Free Palestine” posters, and placards that read “Stop the Genocide” in Nehru Place, a prominent commercial hub in the Indian capital, as they sought to engage passersby in conversation and spark awareness of Israel’s onslaught on Gaza. 

“Coming to a place like this is really an attempt to take the protest (to) ordinary Indians, because it is their hearts and minds that we wish most to access … We want to create consciousness among ordinary Indians,” Harsh Mander, Indian human rights and peace activist, told Arab News.  

“There has been a repression of pro-Palestine voices all across Europe and North America, but there has been significant pushback and resistance in other countries. India has not seen that kind of societal pushback to the government’s open complicity with the … Zionist project of the Israeli government,” Mander continued. 

Organized by the Indians for Palestine movement, Saturday’s protest moved away from the usual demonstration site of Jantar Mantar in the center of New Delhi. But it was also met with resistance, with some participants becoming the target of harassment from market visitors. 

“The choice of Nehru Place as a site was symbolic — an open, public market square frequented by working-class people, students, and office-goers alike. It was meant to reclaim democratic space in a city where protest is now virtually criminalized,” organizers said in a statement. “Despite everything, the message of the gathering remains clear: There are Indians who stand — and will continue to stand — with the people of Palestine.”

Members of Indian civil society are aiming to educate people about the situation in Gaza to counter a lack of awareness, said Pamela Philipose, a journalist and senior fellow at the Indian Council of Social Science Research.

“Let me tell you, almost 90 percent of the people (in Nehru Place) would not have heard about Gaza, and the 10 percent who had would not have known what is happening in Gaza; that people are dying, that people are hungry, that there is a cruel state called Israel that is attacking them … they don’t know any of this,” she told Arab News. ”And this is educating them. A protest is always an education. That’s what we believe.”

Israel has reportedly killed more than 58,700 Palestinians and wounded over 140,000 others since October 2023. The true death toll, though, is feared to be far higher, with research published in The Lancet medical journal in January estimating an underreporting of deaths by 41 percent.

The study adds that the reported death toll does not include deaths caused by starvation, injury and lack of access to health care, caused by the Israeli military’s destruction of most of Gaza’s infrastructure and the blocking of medical and food aid.

“It is extremely important to protest because the atrocities that are going on in Gaza are unprecedented in the history of the world. It is as bad as, if not worse than, what happened in Nazi Germany,” Nandita Narain, a retired professor from Delhi University, told Arab News. 

“If we don’t protest today, we have lost our humanity. Humanity can only survive if human beings stand up for each other … India has already suffered colonial rule. We should understand better than everybody else how you must support those who have been subjected to brutal occupation by imperialist powers.” 

-ENDS-


Poland is investigating air traffic control system outage, ministry says

Updated 45 min 17 sec ago
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Poland is investigating air traffic control system outage, ministry says

  • Warsaw’s main airport had earlier reported disruptions to aircraft takeoffs

WARSAW: Polish services were investigating an air traffic management system outage, the Interior Ministry spokesman said on Saturday.

“Officers of the Internal Security Agency are collecting information on this matter, analizing it, and verifying it for potential sabotage,” he added.

Warsaw’s main airport had earlier reported disruptions to aircraft takeoffs, according to state news agency PAP, but later said planes were departing.

“Takeoff and landing operations at Chopin Airport have been fully restored and are now proceeding without disruptions,” Chopin Airport in Warsaw wrote on X.


Bangladesh’s Islamist party projects force with a big rally in Dhaka

Updated 19 July 2025
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Bangladesh’s Islamist party projects force with a big rally in Dhaka

  • An interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus said the next election would be held in April
  • Jamaat-e-Islami said earlier it would mobilize 1 million people on Saturday

DHAKA: Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Bangladesh’s largest Islamist party rallied in the capital on Saturday to show their strength ahead of elections expected next year, as the South Asian nation stands a t a crossroads after the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

An interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus said the next election would be held in April but his administration did not rule out a possibility of polls in February as strongly demanded by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies.

Jamaat-e-Islami, which had sided with Pakistan during Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971, said earlier it would mobilize 1 million people on Saturday.

While Hasina was in power from 2009 until she was toppled in student-led protests last year and fled to India, top leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami were either executed or jailed on charges of crimes against humanity and other serious crimes in 1971.

In late March in 1971 Pakistan’s military had launched a violent crackdown on the city of Dhaka, then part of East Pakistan, to quell a rising nationalist movement seeking independence for what is today known as Bangladesh.

The party on Saturday placed a seven-point demand to the Yunus-led administration to ensure a free, fair and peaceful election, the trial of all mass killings, essential reforms and proclamation and implementation of a charter involving last year’s mass uprising. It also wants the introduction of a proportional representation system in the election.

Thousands of supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami had spent the night on the Dhaka University campus before the rally. On Saturday morning, they continued to stream toward the Suhrawardy Udyan, a historical ground where the Pakistani army had surrendered to a joint force of India and Bangladesh on Dec. 16 in 1971, ending the nine-month war.

It was the first time the party was allowed to hold a rally on this ground since 1971. To many, the decision signaled a shift supported by Yunus’ government in which Islamists are gaining momentum with further fragmentation of Bangladesh’s politics and shrinking of liberal forces.

Hasina, whose father was the independence leader and the country’s first president, is a fierce political rival of Jamaat-e-Islami.

The party is expected to contest 300 parliamentary seats and is attempting to forge alliances with other Islamist groups and parties in hopes of becoming a third force in the country behind the BNP, headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, and Hasina’s former ruling Awami League party.

The party has a close connection with a new political party formed by students who led the anti-Hasina uprising. Both Jamaat-e-Islami and the students’ National Citizen Party also promote anti-India campaign.

The Yunus-led administration has banned the Awami League and Hasina has been in exile in India since Aug. 5. She is facing charges of crimes against humanity. The United Nations said in February that up to 1,400 people may have been killed during the anti-Hasina uprising in July-August last year.