2025 in Review: Rwanda, M23, and the battle for Goma
The Take
Al Jazeera
4.7 • 748 Ratings
🗓️ 22 December 2025
⏱️ 23 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
We're looking back at 10 of the episodes that defined 2025 at The Take. This originally aired on January 30. None of the dates or references have been changed.
Bodies are lining the streets of Goma and hospitals are overwhelmed after an escalation in the long-simmering conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Rwandan-backed M23 group claims it took control of the city, and the DRC has called it a declaration of war by Rwanda. But why is Rwanda involved and what are its interests?
In this episode:
- Kambale Musavuli (@kambale), Analyst, Center for Research on the Congo-Kinshasa
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra, Sonia Bhagat and Chloe K. Li, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Hagir Saleh, Hanah Shokeir, Melanie Marich, and our guest host, Kevin Hirten.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad Al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. We’ll be back tomorrow.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Al Jazeera Podcasts. |
| 0:07.0 | Hi, Kevin here. This week and next, we're bringing you the takes year in review, 10 episodes looking at the stories that shaped 2025. |
| 0:20.0 | We're starting off this week in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, |
| 0:23.6 | looking back at Rwanda, M23, and the Battle for Goma. |
| 0:27.6 | This episode first aired on January 30th, 2025. |
| 0:31.6 | All dates and references are from that time. |
| 0:40.6 | Today, Eastern DRC's largest city is under siege as Rwandan-backed rebels close in. |
| 0:47.4 | Columns of M23's fighters enter the city of Goma, hours after the armed group said it had taken control. |
| 0:54.9 | M23 has declared the airspace of a Goma closed. |
| 1:00.2 | In other words, we are trapped. |
| 1:03.8 | Why is Rwand involved and what does it want? |
| 1:08.9 | I'm Kevin Hortonain and this is The Take. |
| 1:18.5 | My name is Kambaly Mstavuli. |
| 1:20.6 | I am the spokesperson and a policy analyst with the Center for Research on the Congo. |
| 1:25.8 | I am Congolese and I am currently in Akragan. |
| 1:31.0 | Kamali, it's great to have you on the take. I wonder if we can start by just locating this |
| 1:36.4 | conversation a bit. We're talking about Goma, which is the largest city in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. |
| 1:46.5 | For someone who is hearing the name Goma for the first time, why is this city so significant for the region, |
| 1:53.1 | and why is it being fought over so fiercely? |
| 1:56.9 | So Goma, as you point in the city in the eastern part of the DRC. |
| 2:01.9 | It's the capital city of North Kivu. |
| 2:04.3 | North Kivu is one of the provinces of the Congo, and Congo is right in the center of Africa. |
... |
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