By Ian Wafula:

Protesters in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), have been burning portraits of Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame and tearing up Rwandan flags as M23 rebels have taken control of most of the eastern city of Goma.

Their fury is focused on Kagame, who they accuse of backing the rebels—an accusation long made by the United Nations (UN).

To put it bluntly, a group of UN experts maintains the Rwandan army is in “de facto control of M23 operations”, detailing how M23 recruits are trained under Rwandan supervision and supported by high-tech Rwandan weaponry.

Goma, which lies at the foot of a volcano near Lake Kivu, sits on the border with Rwanda. It is the capital of mineral-rich North Kivu province—and is an important trading and humanitarian hub and the base for the UN’s largest peacekeeping mission.

The city had also become a refuge for those fleeing the conflict between M23 fighters and the army that erupted again in late 2021—with the population swelling to around two million.

They all face further turmoil as fighting erupted there on Sunday night with loud explosions echoing through the streets, which are now strewn with bodies. The exact circumstances of what is going on is unclear as phone lines are down and electricity and water supplies have been cut off.

But the M23 seem to have captured most, if not all, of the city.

“There was no question that there are Rwandan troops in Goma supporting the M23,” said UN peacekeeping chief Jean- Pierre Lacroix, though he added that it was it was difficult to tell the exact numbers on the ground in Goma.

Tellingly, some Congolese army soldiers in Goma—who surrendered on Monday—did so by crossing over the border into Rwanda.

Since the conflict begun, Kagame has repeatedly denied any involvement in supporting the M23 rebels, who are well equipped, well armed and well trained.

However, this response has noticeably shifted as accusations continue to grow with “overwhelming evidence” showing Rwanda’s support for the rebel group, according to Richard Moncrief, International Crisis Group’s project director for the Great Lakes

‘The tone has changed to justification for defensive measures,” he told the BBC. “It has become harder to deny Rwanda’s support for M23.”

On Sunday, Rwanda’s foreign ministry said in a statement: “This fighting close to the Rwandan border continues to present a serious threat to Rwanda’s security and territorial integrity, and necessitates Rwanda’s sustained defensive posture.”

It said it was concerned by “misguided or manipulative” statements that lacked context about the conflict.

For Kagame, the context all comes down to the Rwandan genocide that took place over 100 days in 1994.

The ethnic Hutu militia involved in killing up to 800,000 people—the vast major