Description: The rebel armed group M23 has reported the seizure of Sake town as they continue their untethered advance towards the city of Goma which is considered as eastern Congo’s regional hub for security and humanitarian operations. The UN also raised concerns over conflict escalation and possible open war between DR Congo and Rwanda as the latter have been accused of directly supporting the M23 rebel group and have around 4,000 troops in military personnel on Congolese territory. The MONUSCO mission supported by the United Nations has also established some presence in an attempt to stabilize the situation, with little to no results so far. US and UK embassies in Congo have issued security warnings to their citizens who could be forced to leave the country if the rebel advance isn’t opposed by military force.
Impact: The armed conflict in DR Congo has reached new heights in the past couple of weeks as M23 rebels have overtaken significant strategic locations which supported their military advance towards toppling Congo’s government. UN’s forces lack of adequate response could extrapolate the extension of the humanitarian crisis and escalate the conflict which could potentially lead to an all – out war between Rwanda and Congo. Despite attempts made from Turkey and Angola, peace talks between DR Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame failed as no common interest was identified. Raised in – country security levels and warnings indicate short to mid term conflict escalation, and the extension of a humanitarian crisis.