Rwanda-backed rebels declare ceasefire after deadly capture of Democratic Republic of Congo city
Rwanda-backed rebels who seized a major city in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have declared a unilateral ceasefire on humanitarian grounds.
The M23 rebel group announced on Monday that the ceasefire would come into effect on Tuesday.
It came just under a week after the rebels completed their three-day capture of Goma – the regional capital of eastern DRC – after fierce battles with Congolese forces.
The UN health agency has said at least 900 people died during fighting in the days that followed, while Congo’s communications minister Patrick Muyaya on Monday more than 2,000 bodies are waiting to be buried in Goma.
The ceasefire announcement came after foreign ministers from G7 nations, including the UK, urged both sides in the conflict to return to negotiations.
In a statement on Monday, they called for a “rapid, safe and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians”.
The fighting in Goma forced hundreds of thousands of people who had been displaced by years of conflict to carry what remained of their belongings and flee again – with many pouring into nearby Rwanda.
Goma, home to two million people, is at the heart of a region home to trillions of dollars in mineral wealth and remains in rebel control despite the ceasefire announcement.
M23 rebels on the streets of Goma.
Pic: AP/Brian Inganga
Following the capture of the city, the Rwanda-backed rebels were said to be moving towards Bukavu in South Kivu, also in the east of the country.
However, they appeared to be held up by Congolese troops that were supported by the army from neighbouring country Burundi.
M23 had also expressed a desire to march to DRC’s capital Kinshasa before the rebel group’s spokesman, Lawrence Kanyuka, said on Monday: “It must be made clear that we have no intention of capturing Bukavu or other areas.
“However, we reiterate our commitment to protecting and defending the civilian population and our positions.”
The M23 group cited “humanitarian reasons” for the ceasefire.
M23 rebels patrol the streets of Goma this week.
Pic: AP/Brian Inganga
There was no immediate comment from Congo’s government after it was declared.
The rebels’ announcement came ahead of a joint summit this week by regional blocs for southern and eastern Africa, which had called for a ceasefire.
Kenya’s President William Ruto said the presidents of DRC and Rwanda would attend.
Congolese authorities have said they are open to talks to resolve the conflict, but that such a dialogue must be done within the context of previous peace agreements.
Rwanda and the rebels have accused the DR Congo government of defaulting on previous deals.
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People rush to shop in downtown Goma after the M23 rebels advanced into the city. Pic: AP
The M23 rebels are backed by some 4,000 troops from Rwanda, according to UN experts, far more than in 2012 when they first briefly captured Goma then withdrew after international pressure.
They are the most potent of the more than 100 armed groups vying for control in DRC’s volatile eastern borderlands, which hold vast deposits of minerals critical to much of the world’s technology.
M23 is also the latest in a long line of Rwandan-supported rebel movements to emerge in eastern DR Congo following two successive wars stemming from Rwanda’s genocide more than 30 years ago.
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Dozens of mercenaries in DRC sent to Rwanda by M23 rebels
During the atrocity in 1994, members of Rwanda’s majority Hutu population went on the rampage, murdering Tutsis and those who tried to protect them in a massacre that lasted more than 100 days.
M23 now says it is defending ethnic Tutsis in DRC, whom Rwanda claims are being persecuted by Hutus and former militias responsible for the genocide.
Many Hutus fled to DRC after the massacre and founded the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda militia group.
Rwanda said the group is “fully integrated” into the Congolese military, which it denies.
At least 36 people have been killed after a fire engulfed several buildings at a high-rise residential complex in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong leader John Lee said another 279 people were reported missing. He said 29 people remained in hospital.
About 900 people have been evacuated to temporary shelters after the blaze – Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in years – broke out at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in the city’s Tai Po district.
Three men have since been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, broadcaster RTHK reported.
Pics: AP
Meanwhile, fire chiefs said the high temperatures were making it challenging for crews to mount rescue operations.
Mr Lee said the fire was “coming under control” shortly after midnight.
The blaze was upgraded to a level 5 alarm, the highest level of severity, as night fell.
Pics: AP
The dead included one firefighter, officials said earlier.
A number of other firefighters were said to have been hurt while trying to tackle the flames as they ripped through the 31-storey towers.
Pic: Reuters
Pic: AP
Records show the Wang Fuk Court site consists of eight blocks, with almost 2,000 apartments housing around 4,800 residents, including many elderly people. It was built in the 1980s and has recently been undergoing a major renovation.
Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
The fire, which broke out at 2.51pm local time, had spread on bamboo scaffolding and construction netting set up around the exterior of the complex.
It was not known how the fire started, but officials said it began on the external scaffolding of one of the buildings before spreading inside and to nearby buildings, likely aided by windy conditions.
Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
Flames and smoke were still pouring out of many windows as night fell.
Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed condolences to the firefighter who died, and extended his sympathies to the families of the victims, according to state broadcaster CCTV. He also urged an “all-out” effort to minimise casualties and losses.
The UK’s foreign secretary described the fire as “truly devastating and deeply depressing”. Yvette Cooper said: “The UK sends heartfelt condolences to all the families affected and to the people of Hong Kong.”
Tai Po is in the northern part of Hong Kong, and close to the border with the mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen.
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Bamboo scaffolding is a common sight in Hong Kong at building construction and renovation projects.
However, the government said earlier this year it would start phasing it out for public projects because of safety concerns.
The blaze is the deadliest fire in Hong Kong since the deaths of 41 people in a commercial building in Kowloon in November 1996.
That fire was later found to have been caused by welding during internal renovations, with a public inquiry yielding sweeping updates to building standards and fire safety regulations in the city’s high-rise offices, shops and homes.
Two military personnel who were shot near the White House in Washington DC have died.
A suspect has been taken into custody and the area secured, police said.
The White House was placed into lockdown, while US President Donald Trump is away in Florida.
Washington DC shooting latest updates
Pics: AP
Mr Trump initially posted on his Truth Social platform to say the two National Guardsmen had been “critically wounded”, adding that the “animal” that shot them “is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price”.
But West Virginia’s governor said both victims were members of his state’s National Guard and had died from their injuries.
Patrick Morrisey added: “These brave West Virginians lost their lives in the service of their country. … Our entire state grieves with their families, their loved ones, and the Guard community. West Virginia will never forget their service or their sacrifice, and we will demand full accountability for this horrific act.”
Pic: AP
Police tape cordoned off the scene, while agents from the US Secret Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on the scene, as National Guard troops stood sentry nearby.
Emergency personnel cordon off an area near where National Guard soldiers were shot. Pics: AP
The Joint DC Task Force confirmed it was responding to an incident in the vicinity of the White House.
The DC Police Department posted on X: “Critical Incident: MPD is on the scene of a shooting at 17th and I Street, NW. Please avoid the area.”
In an update, the force said: “The scene is secured. One suspect is in custody.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “The White House is aware and actively monitoring this tragic situation.
“The president has been briefed.”
Mr Trump was at his resort in Palm Beach ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, while US vice president JD Vance was in Kentucky.
Flights arriving at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were temporarily halted due to its proximity to the scene of the shooting, the US Federal Aviation Administration said.
Hundreds of National Guard members have been patrolling the nation’s capital after Mr Trump issued an emergency order in August, which federalised the local police force and sent in the guard from eight states and the District of Columbia.
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