M23 rebels rapidly advanced on Goma within the last 48 hours, capturing the city on 30 January, and will likely advance to the outskirts of Bukava in the coming days. According to most recent reporting, at least 13 UN Peacekeepers were killed during pitched battles with the rebel group. As the fighting progresses towards Bukavu, civilians are fleeing the area out of fear of reprisals and also looting. The violence and displacement are likely to exacerbate existing food security issues. The M23 rebellion, widely thought to be sponsored by the Rwandan Government, has long festered in the DRC’s North Kivu region. Rwandan involvement, though denied by Kigali, has soured and poisoned its relationship with the DRC, and has helped lay the foundation for the DRC to formally declare war on Rwanda in the coming days.
