Panic spreads in eastern Congo’s largest city as rebels battling the army close in around Goma
2 months, 1 week ago

Panic spreads in eastern Congo’s largest city as rebels battling the army close in around Goma

Associated Press  

GOMA, Congo — Panic spread in Goma on Thursday, with M23 rebels steadily inching closer to the city in eastern Congo as they battle the Congolese army. “We are constantly waiting for the bombs.” Congo, the United States and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing the M23, mainly composed of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army over a decade ago. Rwanda’s government denies the claim but last year admitted that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a buildup of Congolese forces near the border. On Wednesday, Congo’s minister of communication, Patrick Muyaya, told French broadcaster France 24 that war with Rwanda is an “option to consider.” Congolese authorities claimed Thursday that the military pushed back an attack from the “Rwandan army” on Sake, a town only 27 kilometers from Goma.

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History of this topic

A family fleeing violence in eastern Congo sees little hope as rebels grab more land
1 month, 3 weeks ago

A family fleeing violence in eastern Congo sees little hope as rebels grab more land

Associated Press  

GOMA, Congo — None of Zawadi Sifa’s seven children have known life without fear and the constant threat of violence. Several weeks ago, the M23 rebels — the most prominent among more than a 100 armed groups vying for dominance in the region — began their advance toward Goma, North Kivu’s provincial capital, in a major escalation of the yearslong …

A family fleeing violence in eastern Congo sees little hope as rebels grab more land
1 month, 3 weeks ago

A family fleeing violence in eastern Congo sees little hope as rebels grab more land

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Her story mirrors that of thousands of other families …

Tense calm, fears for the future in DRC’s Goma a week after M23 takeover
1 month, 4 weeks ago

Tense calm, fears for the future in DRC’s Goma a week after M23 takeover

Al Jazeera  

Tens of thousands of IDPs are leaving and routine is tentatively returning, as residents hope for peace despite the ongoing crisis. This is a very dangerous place,” said one woman, a Congolese army soldier’s wife, who was making her way with the children through the centre of Goma, afraid she would be targeted by M23 troops. Despite some resistance from …

DR Congo’s president says country won’t be humiliated after rebels claim takeover
2 months ago

DR Congo’s president says country won’t be humiliated after rebels claim takeover

CNN  

CNN — Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has vowed “a vigorous and coordinated response” against a rebel alliance that has besieged swathes of the nation’s mineral-rich east and forced hundreds of local troops to surrender. Goma, the largest city in eastern DR Congo’s North Kivu province, fell under the control of the AFC/M23 rebel coalition on Monday, the …

Chaos in Congo's Goma: Embassies of Rwanda, France & US attacked; UN says dead bodies lie in streets
2 months ago

Chaos in Congo's Goma: Embassies of Rwanda, France & US attacked; UN says dead bodies lie in streets

Firstpost  

A day after the rebels marched into the lakeside city, protesters in the capital attacked a UN compound and embassies including those of Rwanda, France and the United States, expressing anger at what they said was foreign interference Protesters clash with riot police forces in front of the French Embassy in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday. Reuters Dead …

Congo in chaos: the last days of Goma
2 months ago

Congo in chaos: the last days of Goma

The Economist  

Photo essay Congo in chaos: the last days of Goma As rebels encroached on the city, anxious residents met to discuss escape plans T he big push began on January 23rd, when fighters belonging to M23, a rebel militia, and Rwandan troops descended on Goma, a major city in eastern Congo, from the hills around it. 100 km Clashes involving …

Congo severs ties with Rwanda as rebels close in on Goma, displacing thousands
2 months ago

Congo severs ties with Rwanda as rebels close in on Goma, displacing thousands

LA Times  

People displaced by the fighting with M23 rebels make their way to the center of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo on Sunday. Congo has severed diplomatic ties with Rwanda as fighting between Rwanda-backed rebels and government forces rages around the key eastern city of Goma, leaving at least 13 peacekeepers and foreign soldiers dead and displacing thousands of civilians. …

Clashes erupt near DR Congo's Goma, US, UK, and France issue evacuation orders
2 months ago

Clashes erupt near DR Congo's Goma, US, UK, and France issue evacuation orders

Firstpost  

The DR Congo army and M23 on Friday clashed outside Goma as the UK, US and France urged citizens to leave the main city in DR Congo’s volatile east, warning the situation could deteriorate rapidly Congolese government troops deploy outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Friday, as M23 rebels are reported to close in on the town. AP …

M23 rebels in eastern Congo seize a town on a key supply route to the provincial capital
2 months, 1 week ago

M23 rebels in eastern Congo seize a town on a key supply route to the provincial capital

Associated Press  

GOMA, Congo — M23 rebels seized the town of Minova in eastern Congo, a key supply route for the provincial capital Goma, authorities said Tuesday, leading to a mass exodus of people in the face of a new offensive by the rebel group, which has taken several strategic towns in recent weeks. The group rose to prominence in 2012 when …

Residents scatter as they fear Congo rebel group will again seize key eastern city of Goma
1 year, 1 month ago

Residents scatter as they fear Congo rebel group will again seize key eastern city of Goma

Associated Press  

GOMA, Congo — One of eastern Congo’s most active rebel groups is attacking a community considered the last line of defense before the region’s largest city of Goma, fleeing residents said Wednesday, even as the rebels claimed they had no intention to seize it again. The M23, with alleged ties to Rwanda, detonated explosives in North Kivu’s Sake city 27 …

Residents scatter as they fear Congo rebel group will again seize key eastern city of Goma
1 year, 1 month ago

Residents scatter as they fear Congo rebel group will again seize key eastern city of Goma

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy One of eastern Congo’s most …

Thousands flee in eastern DR Congo as M23 rebels advance near Goma
1 year, 1 month ago

Thousands flee in eastern DR Congo as M23 rebels advance near Goma

Al Jazeera  

Thousands of people are fleeing violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo as fighting intensifies between the Congolese army and the M23 armed group. Thousands are “on the road right now”, trying to escape the violence and get to Goma, Al Jazeera’s Alain Uaykani said, reporting from Bulengo on Wednesday. We don’t know where we can go … but …

M23 fighters capture Goma in the DR Congo
12 years, 4 months ago

M23 fighters capture Goma in the DR Congo

Al Jazeera  

M23 rebels, a movement that is just six months old, have taken Goma, a major city in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It took them just four days to advance on the city, defeating the government army and proving the United Nations peacekeepers impotent, who had vowed to defend the major city on the Rwandan border. …

In pictures: Defending Goma
12 years, 7 months ago

In pictures: Defending Goma

Al Jazeera  

Over the past two weeks, the threat of an attack on Goma – the provincial capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s restive North Kivu province – by M23 rebels has loomed. The United Nations and the Congolese government army have deployed tanks and other heavy weaponry around the city in a coordinated effort to repel any possible attack. The …

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