AFC/M23 Halts Wazalendo Attack in Goma

The AFC/M23 coalition has stopped an attack launched by the Wazalendo armed groups supported by the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the western part of Goma city.

During the night of July 21 to 22, 2025, Wazalendo fighters, suspected to have come from Virunga National Park, launched an assault in the Mugunga area and in the Rusayo groupement.

That night, gunfire echoed for about three hours as AFC/M23 forces pursued the Wazalendo fighters attempting to destabilize the security of Goma.

Residents in other neighborhoods of the city, such as Ndosho and Kyeshero, could hear the gunshots and feared that the attack might reach their areas. However, during that night, AFC/M23 successfully repelled all the Wazalendo fighters.

AFC/M23 has been in control of Goma since January 2025. On July 22, Manzi Willy, the Governor of North Kivu Province appointed by the coalition, announced that their forces were continuing to eliminate all threats to the city’s security.

He said, “Our security forces are relentlessly and dutifully carrying out the mission of dismantling the criminal elements trying to destabilize the safety of our citizens.”

Manzi explained that when AFC/M23 took over Goma, the opposing troops had hidden weapons, ammunition, bombs, and other lethal materials among the population, and that day by day, the coalition has been uncovering them.