A conflict that has raged for decades reached a flashpoint this week when rebels backed by Rwanda marched on a key Congolese city in a bid to occupy territory and exploit minerals.

The militia seized the pivotal city of Goma, threatening a new humanitarian crisis in a region that has suffered decades of fighting.

Majalisar Dinkin Duniya da Burtaniya da Faransa duk sun yi kira ga Rwanda ta daina taimaka wa mayakan 'yan tawayen M23 da ke kara matsa kaimi a gabashin Kwango.

“The situation is confusing, complex and horrific,” said Greg Ramm, Congo’s country director for Save The Children, an aid group. “There is no safe place to go from Goma. Every time a family flees the guns and bombs to a supposed safe place, they are forced to move again.”

It has now been almost three and a half years since the Rwandan Law No. 058/2021 of October 13, 2021, on the protection of personal data and privacy (the "Data Protection Act" or "DPA") came into force,

The Rwandan government attributed the recent heavy fighting near Goma to the repeated violations of ceasefire agreements by the Congolese armed forces in alliance with the UN-sanctioned FDLR militia,

France and Britain have called on Rwanda to address accusations of supporting the M23 rebels in recent conflicts near Goma, in eastern Congo. At a U.N. Security Council meeting, both countries urged Rwanda to withdraw its troops from Congo territory amid escalating tensions.

Fighting has escalated sharply in recent weeks in eastern Congo, where rebels have seized key towns and are closing in on the city of Goma, the government’s last stronghold in the North Kivu province,

The M23 group is one of about 100 armed factions vying for a foothold in eastern Congo in one of Africa’s longest wars, which has displaced 4.5 million people.

The M23 militia, funded and directed by Rwanda, said it had seized the city of Goma, terrifying its people, many of whom sought shelter there after fleeing the rebel advance.

More than 4,400 inmates escaped from Munzenze Central Prison in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province in eastern DR Congo, on Monday, January 27, after M23 rebel group captured the city.