Romanian mercenaries withdraw from DR Congo as M23 rebels tighten grip on Goma

At a border crossing between Goma and its Rwandan twin city, Gisenyi, dozens of Romanian mercenaries hired by Congo to bolster its defenses were seen crossing into Rwanda—the start of their journey home, one said.

They lined up as Rwandan police sniffer dogs searched their luggage. After undergoing body searches and document checks, they boarded coaches to Kigali. Rwanda reported receiving more than 280 of the mercenaries.

In the past two years, Congo had turned to private military companies to counter M23’s advances. However, these forces appeared to offer little resistance when the rebels marched into Goma on Monday.

M23 is the latest ethnic Tutsi-led, Rwandan-backed insurgency to fight in Congo since the aftermath of the genocide 30 years ago, when extremist Hutus killed Tutsis and moderate Hutus before being toppled by Tutsi-led forces under Paul Kagame. He has been Rwanda's president ever since.

Rwanda claims that some of the ousted perpetrators have taken refuge in Congo since the genocide, posing a threat to Congolese Tutsis and Rwanda itself.

Congo rejects these allegations, accusing Rwanda of using proxy militias to plunder its mineral wealth.

A U.N. report detailed M23’s April 2024 seizure of Rubaya’s coltan mine—the largest in the Great Lakes region—and the illegal export of at least 150 tonnes of coltan, a key smartphone component, via Rwanda.

The eight-state East African Community, which includes both Congo and Rwanda, was set to hold an emergency summit on the crisis Wednesday evening.

A Rwandan government source confirmed that Kagame would attend, while a source at the Congolese presidency and a regional diplomat indicated that Congo’s president, Felix Tshisekedi, was not expected to participate.

Congo's presidency stated that Tshisekedi would address the nation on Wednesday.