M23 rebels in eastern Congo have abducted at least 130 sick and wounded men from two hospitals in the city of Goma, the United Nations said on Monday, calling for their immediate release.
The Rwanda-backed fighters stormed CBCA Ndosho Hospital and Heal Africa Hospital on Feb. 28, seizing 116 patients from CBCA and 15 others from Heal Africa, U.N. Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said in a statement. The victims were suspected of being Congolese army soldiers or members of the pro-government Wazalendo militia.
“It is deeply distressing that M23 is snatching patients from hospital beds in coordinated raids and holding them incommunicado in undisclosed locations,” Shamdasani said.
The M23 rebellion, which resurfaced in late 2021 after nearly a decade of dormancy, has launched its most aggressive campaign in years, capturing key cities in eastern Congo and killing around 3,000 people since the beginning of 2025.
In a rapid three-week offensive, the rebels seized Goma, a strategic trade hub, before advancing south to take Bukavu, the second-largest city in the region. The area is rich in gold and coltan, a mineral critical for producing capacitors used in consumer electronics such as smartphones and laptops.
Regional Tensions Escalate
The rebels, supported by an estimated 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, have vowed to push as far as the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, more than 1,600 km (1,000 miles) away, according to U.N. experts.
Rwanda accuses Congo of harboring ethnic Hutu fighters linked to the 1994 genocide, which targeted minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus. M23, a Tutsi-led group, claims its fight is to protect Congolese of Rwandan origin from persecution and to push for reforms in what it describes as a “failed state.” Analysts, however, say these claims serve as a pretext for Rwandan involvement in Congo’s mineral-rich east.
Tensions have continued to rise. At least 11 people were killed and dozens injured last week when explosions struck a rally held by M23 leaders in Bukavu.
