Key Points
- Nearly 300 foreign mercenaries in Congo surrendered after M23 rebels seized Goma.
- The UN arranged their exit through Rwanda as conflict escalated.
- Analysts say the mercenaries’ role worsened the crisis due to poor coordination.
According to officials, around 300 foreign mercenaries who were employed by the Congolese government to fight against M23 rebels backed by Rwanda have turned themselves in and are on their way home.
Foreign Mercenaries Leave Goma
The mercenaries, together with surviving Congolese soldiers and affiliated militias, were forced into a corner between Lake Kivu and the Rwandan border after M23 rebels took control of Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, earlier this week. Unable to flee, they turned themselves in to UN peacekeeping forces, who made arrangements for them to go through Rwanda, a neighboring country.
As he crossed the border into Rwanda, one mercenary, who identified himself as Romanian, told Reuters, “We are just relieved because we can finally go home… it’s a big relief.” He refused to identify himself.
“The conflict between the Congolese and Rwandans has devastated Goma,” he continued.
Rwanda has consistently denied backing M23, accusing Congo of fighting with those responsible for the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
Mercenaries’ Role in the Conflict
The mercenaries were engaged by the Congolese government to support its chaotic and underfunded army, and they were tasked with piloting advanced military drones. However, an International Crisis Group research found that Rwandan air defenses essentially negated their efforts.
According to Henry-Pacifique Mayala of the Kivu Security Tracker (KST), which keeps tabs on violence in the area, Congo hired Agemira RDC, a division of a Bulgarian business, for logistics, while Congo Protection, under the direction of a former member of the French Foreign Legion, was in charge of training.
However, Mayala claimed that the conflict deteriorated due to a lack of coordination between the military contractors and other ground forces.
Foreign fighters have long been employed by Congo, frequently with little result. Mercenaries, particularly those under the command of “Mad Mike” Hoare, fought to support Katanga’s unsuccessful attempt to secede from Kinshasa in the 1960s.
In a video released by Rwanda’s New Times newspaper, Ngoma stated, “We have a very rich country, but greedy leaders.” “You were hired, and you were paid $8,000 a month, whereas Congolese soldiers only make $100.”
Before boarding buses, dozens of mercenaries, many of whom were muscular, bearded, and some wearing fatigues, were checked by police and smelled by dogs at the border crossing between Goma and Gisenyi, Rwanda.
According to Reuters, the French Foreign Legion’s parachute regiment, known as “REGIMENT ÉTRANGER DES PARACHUTISTES,” was worn by one guy. This regiment had fought in Zaire (now Congo) in 1978 to free captives from a rebel group.
