Rebanda-backed rebels claimed they had captured eastern Congo’s largest city early Monday, as the United Nations described “mass panic” among its two million people and Congo’s government said the rebel advance was a “declaration of war.”
The M23 rebels announced the capture of the city in a statement minutes before a 48-hour deadline for the group to withdraw its weapons from the Congolese army.
In a statement, the rebels called on Goma residents to remain calm and for members of the Congolese military to gather at the central stadium.
The M23 rebel offensive in the heart of the mineral-rich region dramatically threatens one of Africa’s longest wars and further displaces civilians. According to a UN report, over a third of the population of North Kivu province, where GOMA is located, is currently displaced and Goma’s capture is likely to worsen the situation.
Late Sunday evening, U.N. peacekeepers began processing members of the military who had begun surrendering on the outskirts of the city.
Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya made a statement in a video calling for the protection of civilians and saying that the country was “in a situation of war where the news is changing.”
Late Sunday, the U.N. special envoy for Congo told an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting that the airport and roads in the vast region’s humanitarian and security headquarters were blocked “We are trapped.”
Congo late Saturday cut ties with Rwanda, which has denied supporting the M23 despite evidence gathered by U.N. experts and others. The surge in violence has killed at least 13 peacekeepers in the past week. And Congolese were on the run again.
The M23 has made significant territorial gains along Congo’s border with Rwanda in recent weeks after months of regional attempts to make peace failed. On Sunday evening, the rebels called on the Congo army to give up their weapons and present themselves at a local stadium by 3 a.m. or they would take the city.
The Uruguayan army, operating in Goma with the U.N. peacekeeping mission, said in a statement on X late Sunday that some Congolese soldiers had laid down their weapons.
“More than a hundred Fardc soldiers are protected in the facilities of the “Siempre Presentre” base awaiting the process (disarmament, demobilization and reintegration),” the statement said.
In photos shared with the statement, gunmen in a mix of military uniforms and civilian clothing are seen among the peacekeepers.
UN Special Envoy, Bintou Keita, told the Security Council that UN peacekeepers supporting Congolese forces, M23 and Rwandan forces entered the Munigi district on the outskirts of Munigi to cause mass panic. Munigi is nine kilometers from the city.
Keita said M23 fighters advanced and used residents “as human shields” as others fled for their lives.
“M23 has declared airspace over Goma,” she added. “In other words, we’re trapped.” She said the United Nations had temporarily moved non-essential personnel out of the city.
Congo’s foreign minister, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, told the Security Council that Rwanda was “a frontal aggression, a declaration of war that no longer hides behind diplomatic maneuvers.”
Rwanda’s ambassador to the United Nations, Ernest Rwamucyo, did not confirm or deny Congo’s claims. He blamed Congo’s government, saying the crisis could have been averted if it had “shown a real commitment to peace.”
The United States and France called for a ceasefire and appealed to Rwanda to withdraw its support to M23. Dorothy Shea warned that the US would “consider all the tools at its disposal” to hold accountable those responsible for perpetuating armed conflict.
In the past 48 hours, two U.N. peacekeepers from South Africa and one from Uruguay were killed and 11 others were injured and hospitalized, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council meeting.
Members of the Congolese community gathered in Winnipeg on Saturday to condemn the escalation of violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo while calling for Canadian intervention to bring peace to their homeland.
The UN chief reiterated his “strongest condemnation” of the M23’s offensive “with the support of the Rwanda Defense Forces” and called on the rebel group to immediately stop all hostile actions and withdraw, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
Congo, the United States and UN experts accuse Rwanda of supporting M23. This consists mainly of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army more than a decade ago. It is one of about 100 armed groups gaining a foothold in the mineral-rich region, where a long-running conflict has created one of the world’s biggest humanitarian crises.
Rwanda’s government denies supporting the rebels but acknowledged last year that it had troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to protect its security and pointed to a buildup of Congolese forces near the border. UN experts estimate that there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.
