Rebels enter central Goma, situation in DR Congo chaotic

(CLO) On January 27, M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo entered the center of Goma city, just hours after declaring that they had captured the city, despite calls from the United Nations Security Council to stop the attack.

It is not yet clear whether the rebel group has full control of the lakeside city, but some military units and UN peacekeepers are still present at Goma airport.

Recent M23 attacks have displaced thousands of people from the resource-rich eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, raising fears that the decades-long conflict could erupt into a larger regional war.

Soldiers from the Democratic Republic of Congo hand over their weapons to Uruguayan soldiers from the UN peacekeeping force in Goma. Photo: Uruguayan Army

"The city is in chaos. We saw soldiers near the airport but no M23 presence. Some shops have been looted," said one resident.

Residents also reported hearing gunfire near the airport, the city center and the border with Rwanda. However, the head of the DRC's Air Transport Authority, Tryphon Kin-Kiey Mulumba, insisted the military was still in control of the airport.

Several unverified videos on social media showed looting at the airport customs warehouse, along with images of groups of fighters believed to be M23 moving through the northern outskirts of Goma. Gunfire near the airport was said by residents to have been a warning, not a direct confrontation.

According to the Uruguayan army, M23 rebels asked government troops to surrender before 3 a.m. on January 27 (local time), and 100 soldiers of the Democratic Republic of Congo handed over their weapons to the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO).

MONUSCO staff and their families were evacuated across the border to Rwanda that same morning.

Kenyan President William Ruto, in his role as leader of the East African Community bloc, has called an emergency meeting of heads of state to discuss the situation.

The eastern border region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has seen two regional wars since the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, remains a flashpoint. The Tutsi-led rebel group M23 says it is fighting to protect Congo’s Tutsi community.

The United Nations reported that Rwanda deployed between 3,000 and 4,000 soldiers, providing firepower, including rockets and snipers, to support the M23. Countries including the US, France and the UK have condemned Rwanda's intervention, while the country denies the accusations.

Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters, AJ)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/phien-quan-tien-vao-trung-tam-goma-tinh-hinh-chdc-congo-hon-loan-post332192.html