M23 strengthens control over devastated Goma amid intl outrage

M23 rebels, with support from Rwandan forces, appear to have solidified their control over Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo. The city, home to nearly two million people, remains largely quiet on Wednesday, though sporadic gunfire is reported in some districts, residents said.

The latest escalation in the long-standing conflict reached new heights on Monday, when rebel fighters entered Goma, leaving bodies in the streets and overwhelming local hospitals. On Tuesday, they seized the city’s international airport, threatening to sever the main humanitarian supply route for the tens of thousands of displaced residents.

“There are sporadic shots in the neighborhood. They are likely Wazalendo,” said a resident from the northern Majengo area, referring to militias allied with the Congolese government in 2022 to fend off M23 advances.

The assault has sparked widespread international condemnation of Rwanda’s involvement, with calls for an immediate ceasefire. On Tuesday, the United States urged the United Nations Security Council to take action against the offensive.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame expressed in a post on X that he had discussed the need for a ceasefire with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but did not commit to withdrawing from Goma. “Had a productive conversation with Secretary Rubio on the need to ensure a ceasefire in Eastern DRC and address the root causes of the conflict once and for all,” Kagame wrote.

Rubio, while stressing Washington’s concerns over the escalation, also called for respect for Congo’s territorial integrity, according to the U.S. State Department.

M23’s actions are part of a broader pattern of ethnic Tutsi-led, Rwandan-backed insurgencies in Congo, dating back to the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Rwanda claims the insurgencies are a response to Hutu extremists hiding in Congo and threatening both Congolese Tutsis and Rwanda. Congo, however, accuses Rwanda of using the insurgencies to control and exploit Congo’s valuable mineral resources.

Fighting across the border between Rwandan and Congolese forces on Monday resulted in at least nine reported deaths, Rwanda said.

Looting and Displacement Continue

On Tuesday, images from a Goma stadium showed hundreds of unarmed government soldiers and militia fighters, some of whom appeared to be undergoing a disarmament process, as per an unverified video. Bertrand Bisimwa, head of the M23’s political wing, claimed that the last pockets of resistance in Goma had been quelled, asserting that the rebel group’s forces were working to ensure “total security, complete tranquillity, and definitive peace.”

Both the Congolese government and U.N. peacekeeping officials have confirmed the presence of Rwandan troops in Goma, though Rwanda has denied any direct involvement, stating its forces are defending themselves against Congolese militias.

M23 previously seized Goma in 2012 during a major insurgency but withdrew under intense international pressure. However, analysts and diplomats suggest that such pressure may not be forthcoming this time, as Rwanda has positioned itself as a key regional partner, making intervention by global powers less likely.

In Kinshasa, 1,600 km (1,000 miles) west of Goma, demonstrators attacked foreign embassies and U.N. facilities on Tuesday, protesting against what they perceive as foreign interference in Congo’s internal matters.

In Goma, local hospitals are struggling to treat the wounded, with at least 760 people reported injured. Medical sources told Reuters that the true death toll could be higher, as many victims died before reaching medical facilities.

“We had to drain gasoline from ambulances to power the generator because there are people on respirators who couldn’t survive without electricity,” said a hospital manager. “The injuries are often severe. Some people die before they even get there.”

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