AP PHOTOS: Thousands flee fighting in Congo as rebels claim they've captured the key city of Goma
AP PHOTOS: Thousands flee fighting in Congo as rebels claim they've captured the key city of Goma
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Rwanda-backed rebels claimed on Monday they captured eastern Congo’s strategic city of Goma, the hub of a region containing trillions of dollars in mineral wealth that remains largely untapped. Analysts said the M23 fighters aimed to control the city of about 2 million people and perhaps other areas in the region nearly 1,000 miles from the Congolese capital.
It marks a sharp escalation in one of Africa’s longest wars, threatening to dramatically worsen a dire humanitarian crisis. The offensive has sent thousands fleeing their homes, in addition to 1 million displaced who are already in Goma, and stretched hospitals to the limit, with hundreds of wounded coming in every day as civilians get caught in the crossfire.
