
Thousands flee fighting in Congo as rebels claim they’ve captured the key city of Goma
CNNGOMA, Congo Associated Press — Thousands fled the city of Goma on Monday as fighting raged between Congolese forces and rebels backed by neighboring Rwanda, who claimed to have captured eastern Congo’s largest regional hub. The rebels temporarily took over Goma in 2012, before they were forced to pull out under international pressure, and resurfaced in late 2021, with increasing support from Rwanda, according to Congo’s government and United Nations experts. Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Congo of failing to enter a dialogue with M23, which it described as a “Congolese rebel group fighting to protect their community.” That failure, it said, has prolonged the fighting that continues to present “a serious threat to Rwanda’s security and territorial integrity, and necessitates Rwanda’s sustained defensive posture.” The advance into Goma is the culmination of a prolonged battle between the rebels and the Congolese security forces that saw several towns along the Rwandan border falling to the insurgents. Residents seek safety across the border in Rwanda The M23 rebels’ march towards Goma threw the city into chaos, from hospitals overstretched with injured residents to internally displacement camps being hit amid intensified shelling that forced displaced families to once again grab what was left of their belongings before loading them alongside their children into cramped vehicles and scooters.
History of this topic

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Associated Press
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The Hindu
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