The March 23 Movement (M23) has appointed Mukadisi Niragire Hélène as the Mayor of Goma Commune in North Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
In a statement signed by Bertrand Bisimwa, M23 President and released on Thursday by Lawrence Kanyuka, the rebels’ political spokesperson, Chrispin Abdoul Bikulu has also been appointed as Mayor Karisimbi Comunne and Jean-Louis Kulu Musubao as the mayor of Kirumba Commune.
The three mayors were appointed, a few hours after the M23 hierarchy also appointed Colonel Erasto Bahati Musanga as the parallel governor of North Kivu province in North Kivu province, Willy Manzi Garambe as the vice governor in charge of political, legal administrative and political questions affairs and Shadary Amani Bahati as the in charge of economic, financial and development questions affairs.
Appointments of such parallel administrators continue to show signals that M23 rebels have no plans to withdraw from already conquered positions.
On Thursday, hundreds of locals converged at Unity stadium in Goma city to listen to the first address of M23 top leaders, Bisimwa and Corneille Nangaa Yobeluo since the fall of the area.
The DRC government has vowed to fight back and re-conquer all areas under the M23 rebels’ occupation.
The insurgency resumed in 2022, led by Bertrand Bisimwa and Emmanuel Sultan Makenga where they captured FARDC positions in Tchanzu and Runoni in Rutshuru territory and later advanced to capture Bunagana border.
Since then insurgency left many parts of North Kivu and South Kivu provinces in the hands of the rebels.
Bisimwa and Makenga in August 2024 allied with the leader of the Alliance Fleuve (River) Congo (AFC) Corneille Nangaa Yobeluo, former Country’s electoral commission chairman to amplify the insurgency against the government.
The DR Congo government has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting M23, a claim that both Rwanda and M23 deny.
The rebels assert that their fight is against corruption, xenophobia and discrimination within the DR Congo’s leadership.
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