It was supposed to be the press conference that would clear the air and inform the residents of Goma, the second-largest city in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), what the rebels would do next. On Tuesday, sitting in front of a room full of journalists in an upscale hotel on the Congo-Rwanda border, rebel leader Bishop Jean-Marie Runiga said his group—called M23—would not leave Goma until President Joseph Kabila met a list of demands, including the release of all political prisoners. It was a statement that completely contradicted recent comments from the rebel’s military chief, Sulatni Mukenga, who had unconditionally promised to regional governments that M23 would soon leave Goma.
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