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Residents in eastern Congo’s largest city, Goma, woke up on Monday morning afraid and uncertain about who was in control of the area after Rwanda-backed rebels claimed to have captured the city, as their fight with Congolese security forces escalated in recent days in one of Africa’s longest wars.
Gunshots rang out across Goma overnight before dozens of men in military uniform were seen early Monday morning marching with their guns into the city, which is the capital of North Kivu province. It was unclear if the men – who were cheered on by some residents from the roadside – were the M23 rebels. The Congolese government has not confirmed the reported takeover.
The M23 rebel group, which neighbouring Rwanda backs, is one of about 100 armed groups vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich region in the decades-long conflict. The rebels temporarily took over Goma in 2012 and resurfaced in late 2021, with increasing support from Rwanda, according to Congo’s government and United Nations experts. Rwanda has denied such support.
Analysts have warned the latest escalation of hostilities could further destabilize the region, which is already home to one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises with more than 6 million people displaced. More than a third of North Kivu’s population are among the displaced, according to a UN report.
In a statement late Sunday, the UN Security Council called on the M23 to immediately reverse its advances.
“The members of the Security Council condemned the ongoing flagrant disregard for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC … and that the M23 put an end to the establishment of parallel administrations in the DRC territory,” the statement added, referring to Congo’s other name.
The rebels announced early Monday they had captured the city just as a deadline they gave to Congolese security forces to surrender their weapons was about to expire. The rebels asked the Congolese military to assemble at the central stadium and urged residents to remain calm.
Congolese government officials have said the country is “in a war situation” and accused Rwanda of committing “a frontal aggression (and) a declaration of war”. The country severed ties with Rwanda over the weekend. Recent attempts at diplomatic talks between the two countries failed.
The reported advance into Goma is the culmination of a prolonged battle between the rebels and the Congolese security forces during which several towns fell to the rebels.
On Sunday, hundreds of residents marched in the heat and through the night along roads with heavy traffic as they tried to flee Goma into Rwanda, carrying their babies, clothes and other belongings on their backs and heads.
Factbox
Who are the M23 rebels in east Congo?
- Fighting between the M23 rebels and government forces has intensified in eastern Congo, near the city of Goma.
- The M23, a Tutsi-led rebel group, re-emerged in 2022, accusing the Congolese government of violating a 2009 peace agreement.
- Rwanda is accused of supporting the M23, deploying troops and weapons into Congo, a claim Rwanda denies.
- The conflict has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, exacerbating a pre-existing humanitarian crisis in the mineral-rich region.
- UN peacekeepers and a Southern African Development Community military mission are present in eastern Congo, but the security situation remains volatile.
- Read more
“We are fleeing because we saw soldiers on the border with Rwanda throwing bombs and shooting,” said Safi Shangwe, who was among those on the move.
The U.N.’s special representative for Congo Bintou Keita told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council late Sunday that “we are trapped,” with the airport shut down and roads blocked.
At least 13 UN peacekeepers have been killed in the hostilities in the past week. The UN peacekeeping force, also known as MONUSCO, entered Congo more than two decades ago and has around 14,000 peacekeepers on the ground.
The Uruguayan army, in Goma serving with the UN peacekeeping mission, said in a statement on the social platform X late Sunday that more than 100 Congolese soldiers were laying down their weapons.
