Hospital morgues in and around the eastern Congolese city of Goma are overwhelmed with 773 bodies following a deadly offensive by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, Congo’s health ministry said Saturday.
The ministry warned that more bodies remain uncollected on the streets, while hospitals struggle to treat the 2,880 wounded recorded between Jan. 26 and Jan. 30.
The Tutsi-led M23 rebels seized Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, on Tuesday, advancing further south toward Bukavu in neighboring South Kivu. However, their push appeared to stall on Friday as Congolese forces, backed by Burundian troops, launched a counteroffensive.
The latest escalation in violence has deepened an already dire humanitarian crisis, displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians who had sought refuge in Goma from previous fighting. Aid organizations say widespread looting, crossfire, and insecurity have severely hampered relief efforts.
Hospitals Overwhelmed, Humanitarian Aid Stalled
Medical facilities in Goma are struggling under the influx of casualties, with shortages of supplies, ambulances, and body bags, according to the health ministry. Humanitarian groups report difficulty in delivering aid due to the fighting.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Friday that it had nearly exhausted its medical stockpile and had suspended aid operations in displacement camps, while the World Food Programme evacuated staff and halted activities.
Tenuous Calm in Goma as Displaced Residents Return
Despite the destruction, daily life in Goma showed signs of resuming on Saturday. Power and water services, cut off for days, were partially restored, and authorities announced schools would reopen soon. Markets reopened with limited supplies, and some displaced residents left overcrowded camps to return home.
Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Alliance Fleuve Congo, a political coalition aligned with M23, said roads had reopened, allowing displaced people to return. “Our goal is to facilitate their safe return and transition from humanitarian aid to development,” he said Friday.
Congo’s Army Retakes Territory from M23
The fighting appeared to slow on Saturday as the Congolese army pushed back against M23 advances. Local civil society leader Justin Mulindangabo said the army had recaptured several villages in Kalehe territory, a strategic region between Goma and Bukavu.
A local official confirmed that Congolese forces had strengthened their positions in Kalehe and retaken Mukwija and other villages, though clashes persisted elsewhere. The army has yet to comment.
Regional Tensions Escalate Amid Accusations
Burundi, which has deployed forces alongside Congo’s military, warned Friday that it would retaliate against any Rwandan incursions into its territory.
Meanwhile, Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe accused Burundi of attempting to destabilize Kigali’s government. Rwanda has long denied backing M23, despite international accusations and repeated calls for a ceasefire.
Congo’s government, in turn, has accused Rwanda of using M23 as a proxy force to exploit the region’s rich mineral resources, an allegation Kigali denies.
The latest violence marks another chapter in the decades-long conflict that has destabilized eastern Congo, where armed groups continue to battle for power and control over lucrative mining territories.
