“We are going to Goma, but I heard there are bombs in Goma too. So now we don’t know where to go.”
— Adele Shimey, fleeing a camp as artillery echoed behind her
A woman, frantic and terrified, clutches at a motorcycle as gunfire tears through the air. Each shot strips away another layer of her courage, her presence diminishing under the shadow of fear. Another woman balances a mattress on her back, two children hanging onto her body like life preservers in a sea of chaos. Tanks roll past them, soldiers with grim faces heading toward a frontline where death is practically certain.
These scenes aren’t from a film. They unfolded in late January 2025, as rebel forces from the March 23rd Movement—M23—launched a stunning offensive in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), capturing the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu. In one swift and brutal campaign, nearly two million people fell under rebel control.
For a moment, the world paid attention.
The collapse of Goma—strategic, symbolic, and economically vital—briefly broke through the static of global conflict coverage. But what the headlines failed to explain is what led to this latest catastrophe. Why did M23 return? What caused the Congolese state to disintegrate so quickly? And why, most crucially, does it matter to you?
This is a story not just of war, but of history, minerals, ghosts of genocide, and a $24 trillion curse that has plagued Congo for over a century.
Goma Falls
The sound of artillery first reached Goma on January 23, 2025, as M23 seized the junction town of Sake—just 19 kilometers from the city. With that, the noose tightened. Roads in and out were severed. The airport was under threat. Panic spread through sprawling refugee camps. A city of two million was cornered.
By January 27, rebel forces breached the city center. The government collapsed. In the chaos, thousands fled for the Rwandan border. Hospitals overflowed. Looters gutted warehouses. M23 declared victory, restored electricity in some areas, and installed new administrators.
It wasn’t just a tactical win. It was a seismic event in global trade, regional security, and humanitarian stability.
Why Goma Matters
Goma isn’t just a city—it’s the logistical and humanitarian hub of eastern Congo. It’s through Goma that food, medicine, and aid reach hundreds of thousands. It’s also the critical chokepoint for minerals like coltan, cobalt, and gold—materials that power smartphones, electric vehicles, and global supply chains.
When Goma fell, the reverberations were immediate: exports plummeted, prices jumped, and the world realized just how fragile the veins of modern industry really are. But to understand how we got here, you have to go back. Not just a few years—but over a century.
Congo’s Trillion-Dollar Curse
The DRC is, by some estimates, the richest country on Earth in untapped resources. According to Michigan State University, its mineral reserves are worth an estimated $24 trillion. That’s enough to fund the U.S. federal government for over a decade. And yet, the Congolese people remain some of the poorest on the planet.
This contradiction is called the resource curse—where natural wealth breeds not prosperity, but war, corruption, and poverty. It’s a curse Congo knows all too well.
It started in the late 1800s with Belgium’s King Leopold II and a ruthless rubber empire run on amputations and murder. In WWI and WWII, the Allies stripped the country of copper and uranium. Congo’s uranium even helped fuel the Manhattan Project. In the Cold War, it was a pawn for both the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
Post-independence, Congo descended into chaos. A mutiny. A civil war. The rise of Mobutu—a kleptocratic dictator who once asked his soldiers, “Why do you need a salary when you have a gun?”
Rwanda’s Shadow
To understand today’s war, you have to understand Rwanda’s role—then and now.
After the 1994 genocide, over a million Hutu refugees fled to eastern Congo. Among them were genocidaires who immediately began regrouping and launching attacks back into Rwanda. Rwanda’s new Tutsi-led government, under Paul Kagame, considered this an existential threat—and invaded.
That triggered the First and Second Congo Wars, involving nine African nations, and killing an estimated 6 million people.
It also laid the groundwork for the modern M23. Most of its members are descendants of the Banyamulenge—Congolese Tutsis long accused of being foreigners and denied citizenship. Their grievances and Rwanda’s strategic interests have fueled decades of instability.
M23’s predecessors, the CNDP and the RCD, were both backed by Rwanda. And M23, once defeated in 2013, reemerged in 2022, stronger, more organized, and with an audacious goal: not just Goma, but Kinshasa.
A Proxy War in Disguise
Let’s be clear—this isn’t just an internal Congolese conflict. It’s a proxy war between Rwanda, Uganda, and a weak Congolese state. Rwanda’s support for M23 is an open secret. Uganda has allowed M23 fighters to move across its borders. Burundi, for its part, is also involved, hunting anti-government rebels with Congolese approval.
Then there are the foreign mercenaries. Congo has contracted private military firms, including the controversial Agemira, to bolster its collapsing frontlines. The UN’s Force Intervention Brigade, meant to stabilize the region, has been overwhelmed.
Meanwhile, M23 gains ground, town by town, city by city.
The Other Militias
M23 is far from the only actor. Over 120 armed groups operate in eastern Congo. Among the most brutal:
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FDLR – Founded by former genocidaires, they’re anti-Tutsi and often used as proxies by the Congolese government. Accused of massacres, rape, and child recruitment.
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ADF – An Islamic extremist group linked to ISIS. Responsible for bombings, massacres, and the spread of jihadist ideology into Central Africa.
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Mai-Mai – Decentralized local militias, some state-backed, others purely opportunistic. Believers in magical water that protects them from bullets.
These groups thrive in Congo’s mountainous terrain, rich resource zones, and total lack of governance. With the national army poorly paid, undertrained, and riddled with corruption, eastern Congo is essentially ungoverned space.
A Region on Fire
Since M23 reemerged in 2022, they’ve moved with terrifying speed:
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June 2022 – Capture of Bunagana, a key border town
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November 2022 – Seizure of Rutshuru and National Route 2
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January 2023 – Fall of Kiwanja and strategic mineral areas
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January 2025 – Capture of Goma and Bukavu, closing in on Kinshasa’s supply lines
Every victory strengthens their legitimacy. Every town captured brings more minerals under rebel control.
As of today, M23 and its political wing—the Congo River Alliance led by ex-CENI chief Corneille Nangaa—have openly declared their intention to overthrow President Félix Tshisekedi and remake the Congolese state.
They say Kinshasa is the problem.
The World Watches—And Waits
The international response has been… lukewarm.
Yes, there have been sanctions—from the EU, US, and UK—against Rwanda and M23-linked figures. Yes, Kenya led talks. Angola stepped in after that. Qatar hosted closed-door negotiations. But every time a summit is called, it collapses. The parties either don’t show or refuse to engage with each other.
Meanwhile, 7 million people are displaced. Over 500,000 children are at risk of being recruited into militias. Entire villages are erased. And still, the world does nothing.
Why This Matters to You
Congo’s tragedy isn’t isolated. It’s global.
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Coltan is in your phone.
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Cobalt powers your electric car.
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Gold mined in rebel territories might be in your jewelry.
The mineral wealth under Congo’s soil powers the global economy. Instability there means supply chain disruptions, price volatility, and, yes—human suffering on a staggering scale.
But there’s more. The longer this war drags on, the more fertile eastern Congo becomes for jihadist expansion, international criminal networks, and state collapse. The Sahel has already become a haven for extremism. Congo could be next.
Conclusion: A Conflict Decades in the Making
It’s tempting to see the fall of Goma as a sudden crisis. But it’s not. It’s the culmination of 130 years of exploitation, failed peace deals, and foreign meddling. A tragedy that has claimed millions of lives, enriched warlords and foreign states, and destroyed any notion of peace in one of Africa’s most vital regions.
And yet, the hope persists.
Peace talks may resume. Sanctions might bite. The people of Congo, long abandoned by history, may yet reclaim their future.
But if nothing changes—if the world continues to watch from the sidelines—then Adele Shimey’s words will echo across a broken land forever:
“We don’t know where to go.”
FAQ: Understanding the Congo Crisis
Q: What is M23?
A: M23, or the March 23 Movement, is a rebel group composed mainly of Tutsi fighters, with past and current links to Rwanda. It’s one of the most well-armed and strategically organized militias in the DRC.
Q: Why is Congo so rich in minerals?
A: Congo sits on vast reserves of copper, gold, cobalt, and coltan due to its location on the African tectonic plate and its ancient geological history.
Q: Why doesn’t the Congolese government stop the rebels?
A: The government is underfunded, its army is poorly trained, and eastern Congo is geographically difficult to control. Plus, foreign interference makes the conflict far more complex.
Q: What role does Rwanda play?
A: Rwanda is widely accused of backing M23 for strategic and economic reasons—especially control over mineral wealth and border security.
Q: Can this conflict impact global markets?
A: Yes. Disruptions in cobalt and coltan supplies, for example, directly affect electronics, batteries, and electric vehicles.
Q: What’s being done to stop it?
A: Several failed peace efforts, economic sanctions, and regional military deployments. But none have stopped M23’s advances.
Q: What can individuals do to help?
A: Support reputable humanitarian organizations operating in the DRC, advocate for greater international pressure, and stay informed.
