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Much of the beleaguered city of Goma was calm early Wednesday
morning, after a day during which thousands of fleeing people
hunkered down by roadsides as missiles flew and injured people
streamed to overwhelmed hospitals.
While government forces still control pockets of Goma, residents
who spoke to The Associated Press by phone on Tuesday said that
the M23 rebel group was in control of much of the city.
The M23 rebels, who claimed to have captured the city on Monday
after a weeks long advance, are one of about 100 armed groups
vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo. The conflict
escalated with the rebels' advance into Goma, which left dead
bodies on the streets and drove hundreds of thousands of already
displaced people to flee once again.
After clashing with government forces, the rebels took control
of the airport, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a
briefing on Tuesday, warning of “risks of a breakdown of law and
order in the city given the proliferation of weapons.”
Rwandan President Paul Kagame said on X that he spoke with U.S.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on “the need to ensure a
ceasefire and address the root causes of the conflict once and
for all.”
His government denies supporting M23, despite reports from U.N.
experts who estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in
Congo. Rwanda has accused Congo of enlisting Hutu rebels and
former militiamen whom it blames for the 1994 genocide.
Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe has told The
Associated Press that Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi “will
have to accept talks with M23” to bring an end to the conflict.
M23, made up primarily of ethnic Tutsis, has told the AP that it
plans to set up an administration in the city so people can
continue living normal lives and displaced people can return
home.
Analysts have warned that securing a rebel withdrawl could be
more difficult than in 2012, when M23 first captured Goma but
withdrew after days. Murithi Mutiga, program director for Africa
at the Crisis Group, said that the group has become more
emboldened by Rwanda, which feels Congo is ignoring its
interests in the region and which has accused Congo of failing
to meet demands of previous peace agreements.
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