Clashes erupted in Congo’s Goma after rebels took over the city By Reuters
GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – Gunfire broke out early on Monday in parts of Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, hours after Rwanda-backed rebels said they had taken over the city despite the United Nations Security Council saying it had not been completed. to those who offend.
Recent advances by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel coalition have forced thousands of people from their homes in mineral-rich eastern Congo and raised fears that the decades-long conflict could be at risk of a regional war.
“There is chaos in the city; here near the airport, we see the army. I haven’t seen the M23 yet,” one resident told Reuters. “There are also cases of shoplifting.”
Another resident of this town said that there was a lot of shooting in the center of Goma.
Residents say gunshots were heard near the airport and near the Rwandan border.
It was not found who did this incident, but one resident said that they will probably shoot, not fight.
Rebels ordered government troops to surrender at 0300 Monday (0100 GMT) and 100 Congolese soldiers handed over their weapons to Uruguayan troops from the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo (MONUSCO), the Uruguayan military said.
MONUSCO staff and their families were crossing the border into Rwanda on Monday morning, where 10 buses were waiting to pick them up.
Kenyan President William Ruto, who is the chairman of the East African Community bloc, will hold an emergency meeting of heads of state regarding the situation, said Korir Sing’Oei, secretary general at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kenya.
The eastern borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country roughly the size of Western Europe, remains a small box of rebel and military strongholds after two successive regional wars dating back to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
The well-trained and heavily armed M23, – the latest in a long line of Tutsi-led rebels – says it exists to protect Congo’s Tutsi.
The UN Security Council held critical talks on Sunday about the situation in the conflict, which has become one of the world’s worst crises.
UN experts say Rwanda has deployed 3,000 – 4,000 soldiers and provided significant ammunition, including missiles and snipers, to support the M23 in fighting in Congo.
The United States, France and Britain on Sunday condemned what they said was Rwanda’s support for the advance of the rebels.
Kigali dismissed the statements that “did not offer any solutions” and accused Kinshasa of causing the latest escalation.
“The war near Rwanda’s border continues to threaten Rwanda’s security and territorial integrity, and requires Rwanda to remain secure,” Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
