Rwanda supported M23 rebels claimed to have taken control of the regional capital early Monday as fierce battle raged in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. They made their announcement just minutes before the group’s 48-hour deadline for the Congolese army to turn in its weapons expired.
The two million residents of the city experienced “mass panic”. Over the past two weeks, hundreds of civilians have left the brutal fighting in the area and Goma has been their last safe haven now it’s gone as well.
Rebels asked Congolese military personnel to gather at the major stadium and advised Goma people to maintain their calm. According to the Congo’s government, the rebel’s progress amounted to a “declaration of war.”
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The M23 rebel’s onslaught in the centre of the mineral-rich area poses a serious risk of intensifying one of Africa’s oldest conflicts and forcing more civilians to flee their homes. More than one-third of the people living in Goma’s home region of North Kivu are currently displaced and the situation will probably get worse.
