Thousands flee as M23 rebels close in on key city of Goma happymamay

Tens of thousands of people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have fled cities in the east of the country as rebel forces approach the city of Goma.

Local media reports said that explosions and gunshots were heard in the city of more than one million people late on Sunday evening.

A spokesman for the rebel group told Reuters news agency that its forces would take control of Goma at 03:00 local time (01:00 GMT).

This comes hours after the Foreign Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo accused Rwanda of declaring war by sending its forces across the border to support the M23 rebels. Rwanda says it has taken a defensive stance.

The M23 rebels called on Congolese forces in Goma to surrender to avoid bloodshed.

The group has controlled large parts of the mineral-rich eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2021. In the past few weeks, the group has been rapidly advancing towards Goma amid heavy fighting.

Since the beginning of 2025, more than 400,000 people have been displaced in North and South Kivu, provinces close to the border with Rwanda, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

One of the displaced, Alice Visa, said she did not know what to do next, as she had fled Kiwanja, Rutshuru, Kibumba and now Goma.

“People are fleeing from everywhere, and we don’t know where to go anymore, because we started fleeing a long time ago,” Ms. Visa said, adding: “The war is following us here among the host families, and now we have nowhere to go.” “.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on Rwanda to withdraw its forces from the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and called on the M23 rebel group to stop its advance towards Goma.

In a statement through his spokesman, Guterres called on Rwanda to “stop supporting the M23 movement and withdraw from the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” He also called on the March 23 Movement to “immediately cease all hostilities and withdraw from the occupied territories.”

This comes after the killing of 13 soldiers working within the peacekeeping forces in clashes with the rebels.

The United Kingdom called for an end to attacks on peacekeepers, while France’s representative to the United Nations, Nicolas de Rivière, reiterated Guterres’ call for Rwanda to withdraw its forces from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Both the Democratic Republic of Congo and the United Nations say the M23 group is supported by Rwanda.

Rwanda did not deny this, but the country’s leaders blamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the current conflict.

Speaking at the Security Council meeting, Rwanda’s representative to the United Nations, Ernest Rwamusiu, said he regretted that the international community had chosen to condemn the M23 group rather than the Congolese army, which he said had violated the ceasefire.

The United Nations said on Saturday that it would withdraw all its non-essential staff from Goma. Basic operations continue in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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