UN forces were earlier on seen patrolling the streets of Goma amidst heavy gun fire
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Fear and uncertainty has gripped the residents of Goma as M23 rebels take Congo’s largest eastern city.
Shelling and gunshots was the order of the day on most of the day, Monday before dozens of rebels in military uniform marched into Goma, the capital of North Kivu province. The city sits on the border with Rwanda in the volatile region rich in minerals.
Although it had earlier on denied that Goma was under siege and risk falling to the M23 rebels at any moment, the Congolese government later on confirmed the presence of the rebels in Goma, which is 1,500km (930 miles) east of the capital Kinshasa.
The authorities in DRC were still denying reports that the rebels were currently in control of the city.
“Stay at home and be hopeful. l urge all Congolese nationals around the world to mobilise in support of our country. No centimetre will be given up,” said Patrick Muyaya, the Government spokesman said on his X handle.
Residents fleeing to the heart of Goma
He described the rebel advance was a “declaration of war.”
The Rwanda-backed rebels earlier on claimed they captured the eastern DRC’s largest city, Goma.
In a statement issued by M23 minutes before a 48-hour deadline imposed by the group for DRC army soldiers to surrender their weapons expired, they announced the city’s capture.
Their alleged backers, the Rwanda Government continued to deny backing the rebels. They acknowledged that it has troops and missile systems in eastern DRC to safeguard its security, in a statement issued last year.
The Rwanda Government pointed to a build-up of Congolese forces near the border as a direct threat to its stability.
UN experts estimate up to 4,000 Rwandan forces are in Congo
Some residents were seen fleeing to the boarder towards Rwanda
According to a UN report, more than a third of the population of North Kivu province, where Goma is located, is currently displaced and the capture of Goma will likely exacerbate the situation.
The UN described mass panic among Goma’s two million inhabitants.
AU emergency meeting
The African Union’s Peace and Security Council has slated Tuesday for an emergency meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to discuss DR Congo’s current conflict, according to reports.
“There will an emergency session of the Peace and Security Council tomorrow at midday on the situation in eastern DRC,” spokesperson Paschal Chem-Langhee was quoted as saying.
Goma Radio seized
M23 also claimed to have seized the state broadcaster – RTNC. According to the UN-sponsored Radio Okapi, the rebels are playing patriotic music.
The announcer on Radio Okapi said the incident marks a strategic advance for the rebels.
Goma airport ransacked
Residents also took advantage of the rebel advance to ransack Goma airport later on Monday. Hundreds of people were captured on video taking away white sacks from the abandoned airport.
Other footage showed people looting warehouses at the airport.
Jail break
Another video seen by Habari Daily shows people fleeing from a jail in the area around Goma airport. This was as smoke rose in the background. The entire place was filled with a sound of heavy gunfire.
Locals reported sights of prisoners escaping from this jail. The Government hasn’t come up to confirm this incident, as well as the ransacking of Goma airport.
Some of the captured soldiers of the DRC are paraded
UN force at loss
UN soldiers wearing military fatigues and blue helmets were seen riding at the back of a pickup trucks, carrying their heavy weapons. They have become spectators in the war theatre, and can only fire in self defence.
We later discovered that it was the Force Intervention Brigade, which is only allowed to carry out offensive operations against armed groups. This particular brigade was credited with the defeat the M23 in 2013.
The UN peacekeeping mission, known as Monusco, has been in place since 1999. The current force is made up of more than 10,000 troops.
The Southern African Development Community (Sadc), a regional grouping of 16 countries, has also deployed a military force to eastern DR Congo.
But this has been out numbered and overwhelmed by the fire power from the rebels. South Africa earlier on reported that nine of its soldiers were killed while deterring the rebel advance on Goma.
According to the UN three Malawian soldiers as well as a soldier from Uruguay’s army was also shot dead by the rebels.
Who are M23?
The March 23 Movement (M23) is one of about 100 armed groups vying for control of the mineral-rich region of Eastern DRC. The rebels temporarily took over Goma in 2012, before they were forced to pull out under international pressure.
They however resurfaced in late 2021, with increasing support from the Rwandan Government.
Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused DRC Government of failing to enter a dialogue with M23, which it described as a Congolese rebel group fighting to protect their community.