A delegation of the Congolese Catholic Church met with rebel leader Corneille Nangaa in Goma on Wednesday, as his M23 forces continue to advance south. The meeting aimed to push for a dialogue format acceptable to all parties and requested a ceasefire.
M23 has controlled Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, since late January. They have also taken the town of Ihusi, west of Lake Kivu between Goma and Bukavu. However, Congolese forces are staging a counter-attack to retake these areas.
The rebel leader’s Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) sees M23 as its military wing. Nangaa is trying to assert himself as the public face of politicians and rebel groups opposing President Felix Tshisekedi.
Rwanda has been accused of supporting the rebels, but denies it. The country’s carrier, RwandAir, rerouted flights to avoid Congo airspace due to tensions between the two nations.
The conflict in eastern Congo has killed thousands since 2022 and displaced over 1 million people. A tentative calm has returned to Goma, but uprooted civilians are still leaving displacement camps around the city.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/congo-catholic-delegation-meets-rebel-leader-move-that-could-rankle-government-2025-02-12