In a defiant declaration that has rattled the Democratic Republic of Congo’s political establishment, the newly appointed Mayor of Goma boldly proclaimed: “M23 will never leave the city.”
This audacious statement comes as the March 23 Movement (M23), now operating alongside the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), consolidates its control over eastern DRC through military force and a growing shadow government.
Mayor Mukadisi Niragire Hélène, appointed by M23 as the Mayor of Goma Commune, stated unequivocally that M23 fighters are “at home” in the city and are there to stay. Addressing concerns from local residents, she suggested that those who oppose M23’s presence should consider leaving, even urging them to “go with President Tshisekedi to Sabinyo,” a volcanic mountain symbolizing national borders and contested authority.
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This announcement forms part of a broader move by M23/AFC to cement their grip on North Kivu, where rebel authority is increasingly replacing state governance.
The insurgent coalition has now named three mayors: Hélène in Goma, Chrispin Abdoul Bikulu in Karisimbi, and Jean-Louis Kulu Musubao in Kirumba, along with Colonel Erasto Bahati Musanga as the parallel governor of North Kivu province.
Their appointments were officially announced by M23’s political spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, with signatures from M23 President Bertrand Bisimwa, a key architect of the rebellion that reignited in 2022.
While rebel forces entrench themselves in administrative and military positions, Goma’s residents are carrying on with remarkable civic resolve.
Youth groups and local authorities have ramped up sanitation drives, community cleanups, and public awareness campaigns. These grassroots efforts reflect a population caught between daily survival and political turbulence, attempting to maintain public health despite war-zone realities.
Still, the symbolism of a rebel-appointed mayor declaring “permanence” in Goma has heightened tensions, especially with the central government in Kinshasa.
At a July 3 press conference in Qatar, Benjamin Mbonimpa, head of the AFC/M23 delegation at the Doha peace negotiations, accused the DRC government of deliberately sabotaging the ceasefire process.
Mbonimpa stated that the Kinshasa delegation repeatedly refused to sign a ceasefire agreement and lacked proper accreditation, failing to provide even a single letter of appointment. “We would present our authorisation to the mediators,” he explained, “but the government’s team came with no proof that they were officially sent to negotiate.”
He went on to accuse the DRC government of hypocrisy, participating in peace talks while simultaneously preparing military offensives against rebel-held areas. Mbonimpa revealed intelligence indicating the presence of foreign mercenaries in Kisangani, including Colombians and Americans, allegedly hired to assist in regaining lost territory.
Further allegations included Kinshasa arming local militias like Wazalendo and Mai-Mai with drones and heavy weapons, intensifying the conflict on the ground.
Thursday’s rally at Unity Stadium in Goma brought together hundreds of residents who came to hear M23 leaders Bisimwa and Corneille Nangaa Yobeluo speak. Nangaa, a former head of the DRC’s electoral commission, has now joined the rebel cause and leads the political wing of the AFC/M23 coalition.
Both leaders used the event to underscore their long-term objective: to continue the liberation of Congo “all the way to Kinshasa, willingly or by force.”
The DRC government continues to accuse Rwanda of backing the M23 insurgency, an allegation both Rwanda and M23 vehemently deny. The rebels maintain that their fight is internal and rooted in resistance to systemic corruption, xenophobia, and ethnic discrimination.
Since relaunching their offensive in 2022, M23 fighters have overrun key FARDC positions in Tchanzu, Runoni, and the strategic Bunagana border town. Their partnership with Nangaa’s Alliance Fleuve Congo in 2024 marked a turning point, transforming the rebellion into a formidable political-military movement.
M23 says it has unilaterally declared ceasefires five times since 2022, each time without reciprocity from the Congolese government. Despite this, Kinshasa continues to frame the group as anti-peace and unwilling to engage in reconciliation.
With rebel mayors in place, rebel leaders addressing public gatherings, and state institutions visibly absent in much of eastern DRC, the crisis has moved into uncharted territory.
The declaration by Goma’s new mayor, that M23 “will never leave”, is not just a warning; it is a statement of intent. The AFC/M23 coalition is building a parallel state, complete with administrative structures, military control, and political messaging aimed at reshaping the future of the Democratic Republic of Congo, from Goma to Kinshasa.
