Are European Mercenaries Fighting in the DR Congo?

M23 rebels are not leaving areas as agreed, according to President Felix Tshisekedi. He also accused the rebels of faking their withdrawal, according to Reuters.

Meanwhile, Deutsche Welle reports that Eastern European military personnel are staying at a hotel near the airport of Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The presence of white, armed men sparked rumours that the government hired the notorious Russian mercenary Wagner Group to help fight the rebels. Diplomatic circles have been speculating for weeks on the meaning of the presence of these armed Eastern European men in Goma amid a new round of fighting in eastern DRC.

The war erupted last spring after Tutsi rebels of the M23 (March 23 Movement) seized a vast swath of land along the border with neighboring Rwanda and Uganda. The Congo's army has been incurring heavy losses in the fighting.

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi has consistently denied the presence of Wagner mercenaries on his country's territory.

The Wagner Group is seen as Russia's "shadow army". It is stationed at the frontlines in the Ukraine war and has been accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity there. In Africa, Wagner mercenaries have been hired to help fight insurgents in Mali and rebels in the Central African Republic.

InFocus

Members of the rebel militia group known as the M23 leave the city of Goma in December 2012.

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