Since Tuesday, February 13th, the provincial director of the National Intelligence Agency (ANR), along with his two deputies and a spokesperson for the governor of North Kivu, have been arrested in Goma. They are suspected by the Military Intelligence Directorate of collusion with the M23 rebel group and have all been transferred to Kinshasa for further investigation.
Sources close to the matter have remained discreet, merely mentioning suspicions of collusion with the enemy. They specify that these individuals have been apprehended for investigative purposes.
The four individuals, including the provincial director of the ANR, his two deputies, and a spokesperson for the governor of North Kivu, are currently detained at the headquarters of the general staff of military intelligence. They are accused by the Military Intelligence Directorate of complicity with the M23 rebellion. A security official explains that if investigations establish evidence of complicity, all these individuals will be brought to justice.
These reports are being taken very seriously in Kinshasa, which is bolstering its civilian and military intelligence capabilities, especially in Goma.
UN Report
In late December 2023, a report from UN experts, citing defected M23 fighters and intelligence sources, indicated that the armed group’s military objective was to seize control of the airports in Goma and Bukavu.
According to testimonies cited by these experts, soldiers from the Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF) have been deployed in the territories of Nyiragongo, Rutushuru, and Masisi. These same UN sources also report the support provided by tactical support and reconnaissance teams, composed of former fighters from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), operating under the command of Rwanda’s defense intelligence service.