Congo calls for massive military mobilization as Rwanda-backed rebels expand control

Congo's leader called on young people to massively enlist in the army to help fight Rwanda-backed rebels who were attempting to seize more territory in the country's east as a crucial meeting of neighbors asked the Congolese government to talk with the rebels. Rwanda's leader also threatened to "deal" with any confrontation from South Africa regarding the conflict.

In his first public remarks since the M23 rebels advanced into eastern Congo's largest city, Goma, on Monday, President Félix Tshisekedi late Wednesday vowed "a vigorous and coordinated response" to push back the rebels while reaffirming his commitment to a peaceful resolution. "Enlist massively in the army because you are the spearhead of our country," he urged young people.

The M23 rebels in eastern Congo are backed by some 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts, far more than in 2012 when they first captured Goma. They are one of more than 100 armed groups vying for control in Congo's mineral-rich east, which holds vast deposits estimated to be worth $24 trillion and critical to much of the world's technology.

South Kivu gripped by fear as government forces fight back

After capturing much of Goma, a humanitarian hub critical for the more than 6 million people displaced by the conflict in eastern Congo, witnesses said Thursday morning that the rebels were advancing towards South Kivu's provincial capital Bukavu, causing fear and panic among residents.

The rebels faced resistance from the Congolese military weakened after hundreds of foreign military contractors withdrew and handed over their arms to the rebels.

"The (Congolese) military bases in Bukavu have been emptied to reinforce those in Nyabibwe, Bushushu, and Nyamukubi (which are along the way to the capital)," one youth leader said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was worried about his safety.

Neighbors urge talks with M23 amid growing tensions

A summit of the regional East African bloc, meanwhile, called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in eastern Congo and "strongly urged" Tshisekedi's government to hold talks with the rebels. Tshisekedi was conspicuously absent from the virtual summit attended by Rwanda, also a member.

While African countries as well as the U.N. and U.S. have called for an immediate ceasefire, the risk of a regional war has increased, analysts say, exacerbated by the rebels' advance into South Kivu and diatribes between Rwandan and South African officials. Congo is a member of the southern Africa regional bloc and also that of east Africa, whose peacekeeping force it kicked out last year after deeming it ineffective.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa blamed the "Rwanda Defense Force militia" for the fighting that has resulted in the death of 13 South African peacekeepers in eastern Congo. He also said his government will ensure the peacekeepers are "sufficiently supported during this critical mission."

His comment drew an angry response from Rwandan President Paul Kagame who called the South African peacekeepers a "belligerent force" working alongside armed groups that target Rwanda. "If South Africa prefers confrontation, Rwanda will deal with the matter in that context any day," the Rwandan leader said on X.

Who are the M23 and what went wrong?

Analysts say the real fight in eastern Congo is for control over the Congo's vast mineral deposits. M23 rebels appear to be preparing to occupy eastern Congo for good, and have told The AP of their plans to set up an administration and return displaced people to their homes.

The chaotic situation with the M23 has its roots in ethnic conflict, stretching back decades to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, when 800,000 Tutsis and others were killed by Hutus and former militias. M23 says it is defending ethnic Tutsis in Congo. Rwanda has claimed the Tutsis are being persecuted by Hutus and others involved in the genocide. Many Hutus fled into Congo after 1994.

Unlike in 2012 when the rebels seized Congo for days, observers say their withdrawal could be more difficult now. The rebels have been emboldened by Rwanda, which feels Congo is ignoring its interests in the region and failed to meet demands of previous peace agreements, according to Murithi Mutiga, program director for Africa at the Crisis Group, a think tank.

"Ultimately, this is a failure of African mediation (because) the warning signs were always there. Kigali was adopting very bellicose rhetoric and the Congolese government was also adopting very, very aggressive rhetoric," Mutiga with the Crisis Group said.