The AFC-M23 rebels captured Goma and subsequently Bukavu, overcoming the weakened DRC armed forces with minimal fighting. They aim to establish a parallel regime while forcibly relocating displaced people without adequate support. The consequences for local populations are being documented by photographer Paloma Laudet.
Following the fall of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, to the AFC-M23 rebels on January 28, the rebels secured Bukavu two weeks later with little resistance. This maneuver highlighted the significant defeat of the DRC’s armed forces (FARDC), their Burundian allies, and pro-government militias, effectively illustrating their diminished capacity to combat the M23 forces, bolstered by approximately 4,000 Rwandan Defense Forces.
The M23, along with its political wing the AFC, is working to solidify a parallel governance structure in the territories it has seized. This new regime is implementing the forced evacuation of camps for internally displaced persons, established amidst the resurgence of the M23 and escalating conflict since November 2021. This policy appears to aim at both mitigating potential security threats and asserting the authority of the new leadership, even though the relocations are occurring without adequate assurances or support for those displaced.
Photographer Paloma Laudet has visually chronicled the profound impacts on local communities as this shift to M23 control unfolds, documenting everything from Goma to Bukavu, including other locations like Monigi and Minova. Her work illustrates the direct consequences faced by the populations amid these radical changes.
The takeover of Goma and subsequent capture of Bukavu by M23 rebels reflects the significant weakening of the DRC’s military forces and the emergence of a new regime in the region. The forced relocations of displaced camps by M23 seek to establish control but are carried out without proper support for the affected individuals. Documentary photography captures the dire realities faced by local populations during this transition under M23 rule.
Original Source: www.lemonde.fr
