Speaking at a press conference in Goma on Thursday, January 30, 2025, Corneille Nangaa, the political head of the AFC/M23 rebel group, dismissed calls to abandon their struggle, insisting they would not back down until their demands were addressed.
"We are in Goma and we will not leave... for as long as the questions for which we took up arms have not been answered," he told journalists at Serena Hotel Goma.
"We are Congolese. We will continue the march of liberation to Kinshasa. When they ask us to retreat, where do they want us to go? We are not going anywhere," he added.
M23 captured Goma, the capital and largest city of North Kivu Province in eastern Congo, early this week after days of intense battles with the Congolese army, allied forces, and militia groups. The rebels seized the city following the rapid capture of strategic towns, including Masisi and Sake, in recent weeks.
The group is fighting against the systematic persecution of Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese in the region, a situation that has persisted for decades.
Accusing the Congolese administration of poor governance, Nangaa stated that the rebel alliance, AFC, had established a team tasked with reviving the troubled region's socioeconomic life, as well as overseeing humanitarian, financial, and infrastructure development.
Nangaa pledged that the group would restore water and electricity in Goma within 48 hours. Residents have been struggling with shortages of these essential services since the city's capture. The government cut off services as the rebels advanced earlier this week.
He urged residents who had fled their homes to return and resume their daily lives.
The press conference was attended by other leaders, including M23 President Bertrand Bisimwa.
Addressing journalists, Bisimwa dismissed claims that the rebels are being facilitated by the government of Rwanda, calling the allegations baseless propaganda by DRC leaders who are unwilling to take responsibility for the country's problems.
He maintained that Rwanda, like other progressive countries, was justified in calling out the wrongdoings being perpetrated on the citizens by the Congolese administration in the neighbouring country.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
Source : https://en.igihe.com/politics-48/article/m23-vows-to-take-liberation-march-to-kinshasa
