Congo’s forces try to slow Rwanda-backed rebels in the east as protests break out in the capital
Congo’s forces try to slow Rwanda-backed rebels in the east as protests break out in the capital
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Congo’s security forces were fighting on Tuesday against Rwanda-backed rebels who advanced into a key eastern city in a major escalation of a decadeslong conflict. Residents reported gunfire overnight in Goma, a city of 2 million people which the rebels claimed to have captured on Monday. Explosions and gunfire were heard near the now-shut Goma airport.
Goma is a regional trade and humanitarian hub holding hundreds of thousands of the more than 6 million people displaced by eastern Congo's prolonged conflict over ethnic tensions that have resulted in one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. The M23 rebels are one of about 100 armed groups vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich region in the conflict, one of Africa’s largest. The rebels temporarily took over Goma in 2012 before being forced to pull out under international pressure, and resurfaced in late 2021 with increasing support from Rwanda, according to Congo’s government and United Nations experts. Rwanda has denied such support.
It was unclear how much of Goma is controlled by the rebels, who marched into the city early Monday to both fear and cheers among residents. It was the culmination of weeks of fighting during which the rebels captured several towns in a shocking advance.
“Since morning we have heard bomb explosions and crackling bullets,” said Sam Luwawa, a resident of Goma. “So far we cannot say who really controls the city.”. Three South African peacekeepers were killed on Monday when the rebels launched a mortar bomb toward the Goma airport which landed on the nearby South African National Defense Force, while a fourth soldier succumbed to injuries sustained in fighting days ago, the South African Department of Defense said Tuesday.
