The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Foreign Minister warned Sunday that an “attack of unprecedented intensity is taking place in plain sight of the world” as rebel forces and allied Rwandan forces entered the outskirts of Goma.
Goma resident Chibalonza Habimana is aware of the war at the gateway to her home city and the threat posed by the M23 rebels' offensive but unlike thousands of Goma's residents who have abandoned their homes and fled the city,
The war for Goma was the most recent episode of combat in eastern DRC, a volatile region plagued by regional rivalries, ethnic tensions, and armed group battles for more than three decades
The city’s capture came following a 48-hour deadline imposed by the group for the Congolese army to surrender their weapons.
Gunshots rang out Sunday night in the centre of the besieged Congolese city of Goma, AFP journalists heard, after the Democratic Republic of Congo accused Rwanda of sending fresh troops
Laden with just the possessions they can carry, thousands of displaced people have reached the outskirts of the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, fleeing a rapid M23 rebel advance that has taken more territory than ever before.
Panic spread in Goma on Thursday, with M23 rebels steadily inching closer to the city in eastern Congo as they battle the Congolese army. The rebel group has been making significant advances in recent weeks,
Thousands of people have fled their homes in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, as clashes between M23 rebels and government forces intensify. The Rwanda-backed armed group has captured a string of towns over the last few days,
Congo's M23 rebels say they have taken control of the key eastern city of Goma.
The Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday called for the United Nations to sanction Rwanda, accusing its neighbour of issuing a "declaration of war" by sending more troops over the border. Kinshasa said the reinforcements were joining fighters with the Rwandan-backed M23 force closing in on Goma, capital of DRCongo's North Kivu province.
South Africa's ambassador to the UN has called on the M23 rebels to stop all attacks and immediately withdraw from the Democratic Republic of Congo.