Ilayda Cakirtekin
06 February 2025•Update: 07 February 2025
ISTANBUL
An international arrest warrant was issued Wednesday for M23 rebel group chief Corneille Nangaa by the military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to state media.
Nangaa, the former president of the Electoral Commission and now leader of the Congo River Alliance, which includes the M23, is facing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and insurrection charges.
He was also sentenced to death in August for similar crimes committed by the M23 rebels in the province of North Kivu in November 2021.
The report said that Nangaa, with the support of Rwanda, commits massacres in North Kivu and more recently in South Kivu -- constituting a crime under Congolese legislation as well as international law.
The court ordered Nangaa to be arrested wherever he may be found and brought to Congolese territory.
A warrant has also been issued for Jean-Jacques Mamba, a former member of the Movement for the Liberation of the Congo and national deputy for the Lukunga district, who joined the AFC rebel movement after he lost the December 2023 elections.
The violence in Goma erupted two weeks ago when the M23 launched a major offensive against government forces.
Thousands have been displaced, with many fleeing to neighboring Rwanda, including staff from international organizations such as the UN and the World Bank.
About 2,900 people were killed in violent clashes between the M23 rebels and Congolese forces in the eastern city of Goma.
The M23 declared a ceasefire Monday after fighting the Congolese army for control of Goma.
Despite a unilateral ceasefire, intense fighting erupted between the M23 and the army Wednesday and the rebels reportedly seized Nyabibwe city.
Kinshasa has called the M23 ceasefire declaration a "lie" and vowed to reclaim Goma.
