What to know about the escalating conflict in eastern Congo as rebels close in on Goma
What to know about the escalating conflict in eastern Congo as rebels close in on Goma
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Fighting has escalated sharply in recent weeks in eastern Congo, where rebels have seized key towns and are closing in on the city of Goma, the government’s last stronghold in the region bordering Rwanda. The offensive by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group has stretched local hospitals to the limit, with hundreds of wounded coming in every day as civilians get caught in the crossfire. Thousands have been displaced, exacerbating an existing humanitarian crisis and prompting fears of an all-out regional war.
Here is what to know about the fighting:. What's happening on the ground?. Explosions from Goma's outskirts have been reverberating across the city of 2 million people this week. Schools and stores are closed and police are out in full force. Military checkpoints, erected overnight, stop and check all vehicles.
On Friday, the governor of eastern Congo’s North Kivu province, where Goma is the provincial capital, died of wounds sustained on the front line. The circumstances of Maj. Gen Peter Cirimwami's death were not immediately known — he was visiting troops fighting the rebels when he was wounded.
On Thursday, the rebels seized Sake, a town only 27 kilometers (16 miles) from Goma, sending panic surging as concerns mounted that the city could soon fall. Earlier in the week, they captured Minova, a strategically important port on the shores of Lake Kivu, and also the towns of Katale and Masisi, west of Goma.
