When the intended Gahurrla heard that the M23 Rebel group had arrived in Lumangabo, the town of Latshul territory in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on November 27, 2022, he quickly packed some possessions and fled to escape safely.
Fearing to be caught up in the main road, Gahurrla traveled through Birunga National Park to Goma, a city of about 2 million people and the largest city in the eastern DRC, before fleeing to nearby Burundi.
The Rwandan-backed M23, or March 23rd movement, is a Tutz-led rebel group founded in 2012 by former fighter jets for the National Defense (CNDP), a politically armed militia. The M23 rebels say they aim to protect and defend the Tutsi minority of the DRC. Shortly after its creation, the M23 seized the Sesame, but in 2013 they were defeated by the Congolese forces along with the UN forces.
The group agreed to unite the Tuttis into the Army with a promise that they would be protected. However, in November 2021, the group reappeared, claiming that the promise was ignored. Since the group was revived, the number of people who have fled has increased.
Dangerous escape route
The M23 group continued their attacks and acquired more cities in the Eastern DRC, including Goma, which was seized on January 27th this year. The United Nations estimates that at least 2,900 people have been killed, more than 3,000 have been injured and 500,000 have been displaced since.
The DRC army’s SADC mission was deployed to the DRC to support the Congolese government in restoring peace in the unstable eastern region, but after a conflict in Goma between the M23 and the SADC mission forces, their mission was finished and the troops were withdrawn.
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“Some of them died due to lack of assistance,” Mugiraneza told the Epoch Times.
“Forced to be detained”
A growing concern among young people is the fear of being forced to be collected by the M23 rebel group. Mugiraneza said this is already happening in the eastern DRC.
“The young man was forced to detain,” Mugiraneza said. “In our territory of Latshul, Masisi and Niragongo, young people are forced to fight alongside the M23s. In refugee camps, young people were recruited as labour (and) they became training camps.”
There have also been cases of atrocities committed by rebel groups since their reappearance. David Masangu (whose name was changed for his safety) said on December 13, 2022, the rebel group requested that people living in some villages in the Latshul territory of North Kivu depart and move elsewhere. Masan said he left Latshul’s territory and lived in Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province.
“The next day, these rebels destroyed my house and plundered everything,” he told the Epoch Times. Then, in January, when Goma was captured by rebels, Masan fled to Burundi.
Meanwhile, Gafurura, a human rights advocate and coordinator for Rumangabo’s community radio La Voix des Viruunga, said he was accusing them of and acknowledging and unfair treatment of unarmed citizens in the Eastern DRC. He said these injustices continue to encourage him to defend justice for the victims.
His activism also puts him in threats and threats. “I’ve been threatened many times by the M23,” Gafurla said.
Hope for peace
It is difficult to predict the outcomes and possible next steps of the conflict between both the Congolese government and the M23 rebel group. This is because numerous calls from the international community for a ceasefire did not result in positive results.
Angolan President Joao Lurenko called for a ceasefire within 24 hours of the peace talks ahead of peace talks in Luanda on March 16, in order to restore peace between the Congolese government and the M23 rebel groups and mediate a conflict with the M23 rebel groups.
In the meantime, Gahurrla and Masangi are full of security and feel relieved that they are free from the threats from the M23 Rebel Group. They hope that peace will soon be restored. That way they will return to their country and allow them to rebuild their territory.
“The ongoing conflict in the Eastern DRC has had a very negative impact on me. Being outside of my territory makes me uncomfortable,” says Gahrula, who is currently staying in a refugee camp in Burundi. “We hope that peace will soon be restored so that we can return to normal natural areas.”
