Skip to Content Facebook Feature Image

Thai LGBTQ+ couples register marriages as law gives them equal status

News

Thai LGBTQ+ couples register marriages as law gives them equal status
News

News

Thai LGBTQ+ couples register marriages as law gives them equal status

2025-01-24 00:24 Last Updated At:00:31

BANGKOK (AP) — Hundreds of LGBTQ+ couples in Thailand made Thursday a life-changing occasion, registering their marriages legally on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples.

The enactment of the Marriage Equality Act makes Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia and the third place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, after Taiwan and Nepal.

More Images
A just-married couple from the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A just-married couple from the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A just-married couple from the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A just-married couple from the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A member of the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A member of the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A just-married couple from the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A just-married couple from the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A just-married couple from the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A just-married couple from the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A just-married couple from the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A just-married couple from the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Couples from the LGBTQ+ community wait for their marriage certificates as the Marriage Equality Act takes effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Couples from the LGBTQ+ community wait for their marriage certificates as the Marriage Equality Act takes effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Couples from the LGBTQ+ community fill documents to receive marriage certificates as the Marriage Equality Act takes effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Couples from the LGBTQ+ community fill documents to receive marriage certificates as the Marriage Equality Act takes effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Couples from the LGBTQ+ community parade to a hall after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Couples from the LGBTQ+ community parade to a hall after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Couples from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificates after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Couples from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificates after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Couples from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificates after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Couples from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificates after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Juthatip Suttiwong, 24, chef, left, and Kullayahnut Akkharasretthabudh, 38, real estate owner, pose for a portrait in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Juthatip Suttiwong, 24, chef, left, and Kullayahnut Akkharasretthabudh, 38, real estate owner, pose for a portrait in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Patherine Khunnares, 37, web designer, left, and Vivian Chullamon, 36, researcher, stand for a photograph in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Patherine Khunnares, 37, web designer, left, and Vivian Chullamon, 36, researcher, stand for a photograph in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

CORRECTS THE NAME OF THE PERSON AT RIGHT - Kwanporn Kongpetch, left, and Ploynaplus Chirasukon from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificates after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

CORRECTS THE NAME OF THE PERSON AT RIGHT - Kwanporn Kongpetch, left, and Ploynaplus Chirasukon from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificates after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A couple from the LGBTQ+ community wait to sign their marriage certificates as the Marriage Equality Act takes effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A couple from the LGBTQ+ community wait to sign their marriage certificates as the Marriage Equality Act takes effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A couple from the LGBTQ+ community pose for a photo while waiting to sign their marriage certificates as the Marriage Equality Act takes effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A couple from the LGBTQ+ community pose for a photo while waiting to sign their marriage certificates as the Marriage Equality Act takes effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A couple from the LGBTQ+ community wait to sign their marriage certificates as the Marriage Equality Act takes effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A couple from the LGBTQ+ community wait to sign their marriage certificates as the Marriage Equality Act takes effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Pisit Sirihirunchai, left, and Chanatip Sirihirunchai from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificates after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Pisit Sirihirunchai, left, and Chanatip Sirihirunchai from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificates after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A couple from the LGBTQ+ community shows their marriage certificate in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A couple from the LGBTQ+ community shows their marriage certificate in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Kwanporn Kongpetch, left, and Kwanporn Kongpetch from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificates after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Kwanporn Kongpetch, left, and Kwanporn Kongpetch from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificates after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A group of LGBTQ pose for a picture as a part of celebration of a marriage equality bill at Government house in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jirasak jivawavatanawanit)

A group of LGBTQ pose for a picture as a part of celebration of a marriage equality bill at Government house in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jirasak jivawavatanawanit)

FILE - Sunma Piamboon, left, and her partner Danaya Phonphayung show their wedding rings in Bangkok, Thailand, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

FILE - Sunma Piamboon, left, and her partner Danaya Phonphayung show their wedding rings in Bangkok, Thailand, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

By the end of Thursday some 1,832 same-sex couples had married nationwide, according to the Department of Provincial Administration. Well over 1,000 registered at district offices, while 185 couples registered their union at a daylong gala celebration at a shopping mall in central Bangkok.

The couples included actors Apiwat “Porsch” Apiwatsayree and Sappanyoo “Arm’”Panatkool, who tied the knot at the Phra Nakorn district office in Bangkok.

“We can love, we love equally, legally,” said Sappanyoo.

“And we can build our family in our own way because I believe that every kind of love, every kind of family is beautiful as it is,” his partner Apiwat said.

They posed afterwards on a terrace at the office, smiling and waving while clutching a bouquet of flowers.

Similar sentiments were voiced at the mall mass event, where same-sex couple Pisit Sirihirunchai, 36, a policeman, and his partner Chanatip Sirihirunchai, 42, registered.

“Don’t put a limit just because they are same sex or whatever they are. Love is a beautiful thing. We should not stop them,” Pisit said.

“I want to see the same-sex marriage law available in every country where LGBTQ+ couples are,” Chanatip chimed in.

Activists had said they hoped at least 1,448 same-sex marriages would take place nationwide Thursday, in a nod to Civil and Commercial Code’s Article 1448, which they had successfully lobbied to get amended.

Thailand’s marriage equality bill, which sailed through both houses of parliament, amended Article 1448 to replace the words “man and woman” and “husband and wife” with “individuals” and “marriage partners.” It is intended to grant full legal, financial and medical rights to LGBTQ+ couples.

Partners will have equal rights and responsibilities in dealing with joint assets, tax obligations and deductions, inheritance rights and survivor benefits.

At the Siam Paragon mall, former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin led a parade of newlyweds on a rainbow-colored carpet outside of the exhibition hall.

Current Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra addressed the crowd by video message, declaring, “From now on, all love will be certified by law. All couples will live with honor and dignity in Thailand."

Srettha, under whose government the ruling Pheu Thai party introduced the new law, offered a sharper and more timely comment, obviously referencing U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration speech on Monday, in which he declared it will be the official policy of his government “that there are only two genders, male and female.”

While he did not mention Trump by name, Srettha said “a powerful country’s” new leader “announced clearly that there are only two genders in his country.”

Striking a comparison between that “powerful country” and Thailand’s mid-sized population and smaller economy, he said, “I believe our heart is bigger.”

Thailand has a reputation for acceptance and inclusivity, and thousands of people from around the world attend the annual Bangkok Pride parade. But rights advocates have struggled for decades to pass a marriage equality law in a largely conservative society where members of the LGBTQ+ community say they face discrimination in everyday life, although they note that things have improved greatly in recent years.

Bangkok’s city government has said that it organized workshops for district office staff who are in charge of handling marriage registration. They included lectures raising awareness about gender diversity and guidance on how to properly communicate with those who come for the service. The Interior Ministry has offered similar guidance.

“It’s like a missing piece of the jigsaw,” Bangkok Deputy Gov. Sanon Wangsrangboon said at one of the workshops earlier this month. “Society is ready. The law is getting ready. But the last piece of the jigsaw is the understanding from officials.”

About three dozen countries around the world have legalized some form of same-sex marriage, more than half in Europe. In Taiwan, which in 2019 was the first place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, 526 people registered on the first day, according to its government’s Department of Household Registration.

A just-married couple from the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A just-married couple from the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A just-married couple from the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A just-married couple from the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A member of the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A member of the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A just-married couple from the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A just-married couple from the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A just-married couple from the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A just-married couple from the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A just-married couple from the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A just-married couple from the LGBTQ+ community walks on rainbow carpet in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, on the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Couples from the LGBTQ+ community wait for their marriage certificates as the Marriage Equality Act takes effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Couples from the LGBTQ+ community wait for their marriage certificates as the Marriage Equality Act takes effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Couples from the LGBTQ+ community fill documents to receive marriage certificates as the Marriage Equality Act takes effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Couples from the LGBTQ+ community fill documents to receive marriage certificates as the Marriage Equality Act takes effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Couples from the LGBTQ+ community parade to a hall after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Couples from the LGBTQ+ community parade to a hall after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Couples from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificates after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Couples from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificates after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Couples from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificates after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Couples from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificates after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Juthatip Suttiwong, 24, chef, left, and Kullayahnut Akkharasretthabudh, 38, real estate owner, pose for a portrait in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Juthatip Suttiwong, 24, chef, left, and Kullayahnut Akkharasretthabudh, 38, real estate owner, pose for a portrait in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Patherine Khunnares, 37, web designer, left, and Vivian Chullamon, 36, researcher, stand for a photograph in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Patherine Khunnares, 37, web designer, left, and Vivian Chullamon, 36, researcher, stand for a photograph in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

CORRECTS THE NAME OF THE PERSON AT RIGHT - Kwanporn Kongpetch, left, and Ploynaplus Chirasukon from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificates after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

CORRECTS THE NAME OF THE PERSON AT RIGHT - Kwanporn Kongpetch, left, and Ploynaplus Chirasukon from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificates after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A couple from the LGBTQ+ community wait to sign their marriage certificates as the Marriage Equality Act takes effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A couple from the LGBTQ+ community wait to sign their marriage certificates as the Marriage Equality Act takes effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A couple from the LGBTQ+ community pose for a photo while waiting to sign their marriage certificates as the Marriage Equality Act takes effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A couple from the LGBTQ+ community pose for a photo while waiting to sign their marriage certificates as the Marriage Equality Act takes effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A couple from the LGBTQ+ community wait to sign their marriage certificates as the Marriage Equality Act takes effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A couple from the LGBTQ+ community wait to sign their marriage certificates as the Marriage Equality Act takes effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Pisit Sirihirunchai, left, and Chanatip Sirihirunchai from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificates after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Pisit Sirihirunchai, left, and Chanatip Sirihirunchai from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificates after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A couple from the LGBTQ+ community shows their marriage certificate in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A couple from the LGBTQ+ community shows their marriage certificate in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Kwanporn Kongpetch, left, and Kwanporn Kongpetch from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificates after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Kwanporn Kongpetch, left, and Kwanporn Kongpetch from the LGBTQ+ community show their marriage certificates after the Marriage Equality Act took effect in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A group of LGBTQ pose for a picture as a part of celebration of a marriage equality bill at Government house in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jirasak jivawavatanawanit)

A group of LGBTQ pose for a picture as a part of celebration of a marriage equality bill at Government house in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jirasak jivawavatanawanit)

FILE - Sunma Piamboon, left, and her partner Danaya Phonphayung show their wedding rings in Bangkok, Thailand, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

FILE - Sunma Piamboon, left, and her partner Danaya Phonphayung show their wedding rings in Bangkok, Thailand, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

GOMA, Congo (AP) — The Rwanda-backed rebels who captured eastern Congo 's key city of Goma sought to reassure its residents Thursday, holding a stadium rally and promising safety under their administration as they try to shore up public support amid growing international pressure.

The M23 rebels continued advances elsewhere in eastern Congo despite their own announcement of a unilateral cease-fire, and the U.N. secretary-general called for them to lay down their guns and agree to mediation. Health officials, meanwhile, said the rebellion had disrupted a key medical lab in Goma.

As thousands gathered at the stadium in Goma, which the rebels captured last week with the support of troops from neighboring Rwanda, M23 political leader Corneille Nangaa told the crowd that the city had been “liberated and sanitized” and that new administrative heads have been appointed.

“I ask you to sleep well because we bring you security; this is our priority,” Nangaa said. “Starting next week, the children return to school. Let all state agents return to their offices. The displaced people are returning to their homes.”

The rebels are backed by some 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts. They are the most potent of the more than 100 armed groups active in Congo’s east, which holds vast deposits critical to much of the world’s technology.

Unlike in 2012, when the rebels first captured Goma but held it for only a short time, analysts say the M23 is now eyeing political power and eager to show it can govern.

One of those at the rally Thursday, Emmanuel Kakule, a Goma resident, said he is still worried about the situation in Goma.

“I came to listen to their project,” the 26-year-old said. “I don’t know if I’m convinced. ... We’re still afraid.”

Earlier this week, the rebels announced a unilateral ceasefire to facilitate humanitarian aid, but the Congolese government later dismissed that as a “false communication” amid reports of continued rebel advances in the east.

On Thursday, the rebels were advancing into South Kivu province and were 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the provincial capital of Bukavu, according to Nene Bintou, president of the civil society in the province. The rebels also had seized a town in the mineral-rich region a day earlier after the ceasefire was declared.

The advance has caused tension and fear among residents in Bukavu, with many fleeing to surrounding villages further afar from the city. Public transportation has also become less available, forcing some to trek for hours with their children and belongings.

Africa’s top public health body, meanwhile, sounded notes of alarm Thursday, saying that the rebellion had disrupted services at a high-security medical lab in Goma involved in the control and surveillance of infectious diseases such as Ebola.

The disruption at the National Institute of Biomedical Research lab underscores “the need for the decentralization of laboratory capacity” in the region, said Yap Boum II, a manager at the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Boum, in an online briefing, said that collection of samples for illnesses such as mpox had been disrupted and that the rebellion has led to dozens of mpox patients fleeing from treatment centers, raising the risk of the disease spreading.

The U.N. and aid groups have expressed concern about the safety of the displaced people in Goma. Before it was captured by the rebels, the city was a critical humanitarian hub that hosted many of the more than 6 million people displaced by conflict in the region.

On Thursday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued an urgent appeal to the rebels and their Rwandan military backers to “silence the guns” and stop the escalating fighting in the region, stressing that there is no military solution to the conflict in the mineral-rich region.

“It is time for mediation. It is time to end this crisis. It is time for peace,” Guterres told U.N. reporters.

The U.N. chief announced that he will be flying to Addis Ababa to take part in a meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council next week, “where this crisis will also be front and center.”

“We also see the continued threat by other armed groups, either Congolese or foreign,” Guterres said. “We have countless reports of human rights abuses, including sexual and gender-based violence, forced recruitment, and the disruption of lifesaving aid.”

Meanwhile, Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera, said that he's asked the commander of his country’s peacekeepers in eastern Congo to begin preparations for their withdrawal.

Malawian troops are part of a regional peacekeeping force supporting Congolese army in the region. At least 3 Malawian troops and 14 South African soldiers — also part of the force — have been killed in the fighting.

Chakwera said on Wednesday that the withdrawal was “to honor the declaration of a ceasefire" by the rebels and to pave the way for negotiations and a lasting peace. He did not give a timeframe for the Malawian troops’ withdrawal.

——

Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria, and Kamale reported from Kinshasa, Congo. AP journalist Rodney Muhmuza in Kampala, Uganda and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this reporting.

Red Cross personnel load bodies of victims of the fighting between Congolese government forces and M23 rebels in a truck in Goma, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, as the U.N. health agency said 900 died in the fight. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

Red Cross personnel load bodies of victims of the fighting between Congolese government forces and M23 rebels in a truck in Goma, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, as the U.N. health agency said 900 died in the fight. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

Red Cross personnel load bodies of victims of the fighting between Congolese government forces and M23 rebels in a truck in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, as the U.N. health agency said 900 died in the fight. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

Red Cross personnel load bodies of victims of the fighting between Congolese government forces and M23 rebels in a truck in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, as the U.N. health agency said 900 died in the fight. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

Recommended Articles