Chaos in Congo

Eastern Congo is in flames, and the world is barely paying attention. The M23 rebel group, with alleged backing from Rwanda, has seized Goma, a major city, leaving a trail of blood and destruction. Civilians are being slaughtered, women brutalized, and entire communities uprooted. It’s the kind of horror that should stop the world in its tracks, but it never does.

The takeover of Goma in late January wasn’t just another battle in Congo’s endless warfare,it was a massacre. At least 773 people were killed, nearly 3,000 wounded, and thousands more forced to run for their lives. The city, once chaotic but functioning, is now barely holding together. Food and water are scarce, electricity is unreliable, and fear is the only thing in abundance.

For those who managed to make it out, the new reality is life under M23 rule. The rebels, notorious for their history of war crimes, have only tightened their grip, and people know what that means…more killings, more disappearances, more suffering.

If Goma’s fall was tragic, what happened at Munzenze prison is pure horror. During the chaos of the attack, hundreds of female prisoners many jailed for minor offenses became targets of unimaginable violence. Reports confirm that they were raped and then burned alive when the prison was set on fire. Some tried to escape, only to be gunned down in the streets. The UN calls it a war crime. Locals call it another day in Congo.

The U.S. has issued its usual warnings, threatening sanctions on both Rwandan and Congolese officials. Rwanda, as always, denies involvement, despite overwhelming evidence that M23 has its backing. Congo, meanwhile, is lashing out in every direction, even demanding that football clubs like Arsenal and Bayern Munich drop their Rwandan sponsorship deals. Because, in their eyes, no one should be promoting a country that’s fueling war across the border.

Right now, tens of thousands of people are crammed into displacement camps, hungry, sick, and wondering if the world will ever care enough to intervene. Aid groups are scrambling to provide food, medicine, and shelter, but the fighting keeps them locked out of the worst-hit areas.

The people of eastern Congo have seen this story play out before. They know how it ends: with broken promises, ignored warnings, and another generation born into war. Unless something changes, unless someone actually steps in and does more than issue statements, the suffering will continue, just like it always has.