More than 1,300 Congolese military and police personnel have been evacuated to Kinshasa from Goma, a major city in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) controlled by the M23 rebel group, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced on Thursday.
The Rwanda-backed rebel group has resurged dramatically in the eastern DRC, a region plagued by 30 years of conflict, capturing Goma at the end of January following intense urban fighting that resulted in thousands of deaths.
Around 2,000 military and police personnel sought refuge in bases of the United Nations Mission in Congo (MONUSCO) , where they have been stranded since then.
In late April, the ICRC announced the start of a challenging evacuation operation by road through M23-controlled areas, after extended negotiations involving MONUSCO, Kinshasa, and the M23.
Between 30 April and 15 May, the ICRC successfully escorted 1,359 unarmed personnel from the DRC government forces and their families, marking the conclusion of the operations.
The evacuees travelled nearly 2,000 kilometres, crossing the front line to journey from Goma to Kinshasa, according to the ICRC.
Initially, about 2,000 Congolese military personnel were inside the MONUSCO bases during Goma’s capture, but by early April, the numbers had shrunk to around 1,500 due to defections to M23 and escapes to Kinshasa-controlled areas, according to UN sources.
The M23 opposed the evacuation of these unarmed personnel via Goma’s airport, which has been closed since January.
The complex evacuation operation engaged significant human and logistical resources, involving multiple road convoys and transport by helicopter and aircraft, the ICRC said.
