M23 Rebels Make Gains as DRC Government Offers $5 Million Bounty for Rebel Leaders | Conflict Update

Rebel fighters set their sights on the strategic town of Walikale as government forces face defections amid ongoing clashes.

The M23 armed group has advanced further into the mineral-rich region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after seizing the key cities of Goma and Bukavu – the capitals of North and South Kivu provinces, respectively – in recent weeks.

Security sources informed Al Jazeera that the Rwanda-backed rebels have entered Nyabiondo village, located approximately 100km (62 miles) north of Goma on the road leading to the strategic town of Walikale in North Kivu.

“Walikale is critically important for the government as it is home to the only industrial mine that generates millions in tax revenue,” said Al Jazeera’s Alain Uaykani, reporting from Goma.

In a significant blow to government forces, one of their allied armed groups, known as Group Kabido, declared that it had joined the M23 fighters. Group Kabido has been active in eastern DRC for decades and had been fighting alongside the army for the past three years. Its leaders announced over the weekend that they are officially aligning with the M23 to combat what they termed the “mismanagement of the Kinshasa government.”

“This highlights the disorganization within the DRC army, and the M23 is capitalizing on this situation,” Uaykani explained, noting that a second group defected shortly afterward.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that escalating attacks have targeted hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.

“Between March 1 and 3, several hospitals were attacked by armed actors in an intensification of violence against medical centers and health personnel,” OCHA stated. Security in Goma is under threat due to “a resurgence of criminal activities, including home burglaries, thefts, and assaults,” it added on Sunday, noting that hospitals and schools in other areas have also been forced to close.

OCHA also reported that at least four civilians were killed in clashes between the M23 and rival groups in the Masisi district between February 18 and 25, and over 100,000 people were newly displaced in Lubero to the north.

$5M Reward for Capture of M23 Rebel Leaders

In response to the escalating crisis, DRC authorities have offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest of M23 rebel leaders as government forces struggle to halt their advance.

“A reward of five million dollars is offered to anyone who assists in the arrest of the convicts Corneille Nangaa, Bertrand Bisimwa, and Sultani Makenga,” the Ministry of Justice announced on Friday.

Nangaa is a leader in the Congo River Alliance (AFC) – a military-political coalition that includes the M23 – and a former president of the DRC’s Independent National Electoral Commission. Bisimwa and Makenga serve as the president and military chief of the M23, respectively.

All three men were tried in absentia in Kinshasa, convicted, and sentenced to death in August 2024.

DRC authorities are also offering a $4 million bounty for information leading to the arrest of the three men’s “accomplices on the run” and “other wanted individuals,” the statement said.

More than 7,000 people have been killed in fighting in eastern DRC since January, with a “significant” number of civilians among the casualties.

The M23 is one of over 200 armed groups operating in eastern DRC, vying for control of the region’s mineral resources. After a decade of dormancy, the group resumed hostilities in 2021, seizing large portions of territory in North Kivu, which borders Rwanda.

In recent weeks, the M23 launched a rapid offensive, capturing Goma and Bukavu. UN experts and the United States have accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 – allegations that Rwanda denies.