M23 Rebels Capture Uganda-Congo Border Town in Eastern DR Congo

In Summary

• M23 rebels seized Ishasha, a border town in DR Congo's North Kivu province, without resistance on Sunday, the same day a cease-fire with Rwanda was meant to begin.
• The majority-ethnic Tutsi movement, backed by Rwanda, has captured large territories in North Kivu since launching its offensive in late 2021.
• Congolese police fled into Uganda to escape the well-armed rebels, with about 90 officers crossing the border. M23 called on local militias to join them and urged the police to return to their posts.
• The capture of Ishasha and nearby Nyamilima, both without resistance, raises doubts about the cease-fire's effectiveness. A Congolese security source dismissed the cease-fire as a "farce."

KAMPALA, UGANDA- Rebels from the M23 movement captured the border town of Ishasha in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) without encountering any resistance on Sunday. This event coincided with the day a cease-fire between the DRC and neighboring Rwanda was supposed to take effect, raising serious questions about the cease-fire's viability.

Ishasha, located on the border with Uganda, is the latest town to fall under the control of the majority-ethnic Tutsi M23 movement, which is backed by Rwanda. The group has been conducting a sustained offensive in North Kivu province since the end of 2021, seizing large swathes of territory in the mineral-rich region.

According to Romy Sawasawa, a civil society leader, "Ishasha has passed without resistance under M23 control." The situation was so dire that Congolese police officers fled across the border into Uganda to escape the advancing rebels. Gad Rugaju, Uganda's deputy of security in the district, confirmed that approximately 90 Congolese police officers had crossed into Uganda, where they are currently undergoing evaluation. Rugaju mentioned that the officers would "probably be expelled after consultations."

In the aftermath of their capture of Ishasha, M23 rebels held a meeting with the local population, urging them to continue with their daily activities. The rebels also called on pro-government militias to join their ranks and encouraged the police to return to their duties. Additionally, they demanded that the ethnic Hutu Rwandan rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) "go back home to Rwanda," according to a resident named Yasini Mambo.

Ishasha is situated on the southern shores of Lake Edward, approximately 200 kilometers (124 miles) northeast of Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu. The capture of Ishasha follows the fall of the nearby town of Nyamilima, which locals reported was also taken by M23 rebels without any resistance.

When questioned by AFP, a Congolese security source confirmed the capture of Ishasha but downplayed the significance of the event, stating, "It's a non-event. Nobody was there" during the offensive. The source added that the ongoing cease-fire negotiations were a "farce," casting doubt on the effectiveness of the peace process.

For nearly 30 years, eastern DR Congo has been plagued by conflict, with various local and foreign armed groups vying for control of the region's rich mineral resources. The current conflict involving the M23 rebels is rooted in the complex history of the regional wars of the 1990s and has continued to destabilize the area despite numerous attempts at peace.