- Goma faces missile threat
- Thousands flee M23 conflict
- 42,000 displaced in east
Thousands of individuals are fleeing violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo as the Congolese army and the M23 armed group escalate their hostilities.
On Wednesday, fighters reportedly surrounded the strategic town of Sake, a critical advance towards the capital of North Kivu, Goma. Sake’s capture would severely affect the logistics of the Congolese military.
M23’s advance has proven difficult for United Nations peacekeepers and the Congolese military to halt. Thousands who fled Sake have now arrived in Bulengo, approximately six miles (10 kilometres) west of Goma, where fighting persists.
Thousands are “currently on the road” in an attempt to escape the violence and reach Goma, Al Jazeera’s Alain Uaykani reported on Wednesday from Bulengo.
“They have been engaged in combat for the past week,” he elaborated. “Yet again this morning, rebels attempted to seize control of the capital city.”
The current control of the region by the army or the rebels is unknown, Uaykani further stated.
“The situation in Sake is dire due to intense combat between M23 rebels and soldiers. They have launched massive artillery assaults and dropped bombs on the city… For this reason, we are departing for Goma,” displaced Sakean Justin Musau said.
Henriette Muyume, another displaced individual, stated, “We are fleeing the violence between soldiers and rebels. We have no idea where to go… However, this circumstance is beyond our capacity to endure; it is impracticable.”
“Directing Goma”
M23 rebels launched a significant new offensive in March 2022, sparking a conflict that has prompted military intervention and mediation efforts by East African regional leaders in a region already plagued by militia violence. A ceasefire that they mediated a year ago has been consistently breached.
Recent escalating hostilities between insurgents, army forces, and self-defence groups that aid them have compelled entire communities in the territories of Masisi and Rutshuru to seek refuge on the outskirts of Goma, where they perceive safer conditions.
Meanwhile, a missile landed near a university in Goma on Wednesday. The attack, which created a crater in an expanse of open land in the Lac Vert neighbourhood northwest of Goma, caused no casualties but highlighted the potential danger to the city of around two million inhabitants.
“This indicates that M23 is now focusing on Goma; they intend to murder residents of Goma. The government must take action to halt the progress of M23,” 25-year-old student Sophonie Bayonga told Reuters at the location.
The DRC government vowed this week that Goma, which is located near the Rwandan border, would never fall into the clutches of the M23. In 2012, the armed faction transiently occupied the province of North Kivu.
M23 issued a statement on Wednesday stating that this was not its objective and characterising its activities as “defensive manoeuvres.”
According to the DRC, Western powers, and a United Nations expert committee, Rwanda supports the Tutsi-led rebel group. Although Rwanda has categorically denied any involvement, the allegations have precipitated a diplomatic crisis in the area.
42,000 individuals displaced
The east has been ravaged by violence, with numerous civilians having been killed in bombings and retaliatory attacks.
Tuesday marked the 42,000th day of displacement from Masisi alone since February 2, according to the United Nations’ humanitarian office OCHA.
Major M23 advances in the town of Mweso last month brought the conflict even closer to the 62-mile-away capital, Goma.
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Two weeks ago, violent confrontations broke out in Mweso, according to Natalia Torrent, the leader of a Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, or MSF) team, as the army and pro-government militia attempted to reclaim the town.
The fighting resumed over the weekend after a lull, and the MSF team has received thirty wounded persons in recent days, she told Reuters via telephone on Tuesday.
Several members of MSF’s staff were forced to evacuate a hospital where thousands of Mweso residents were seeking refuge after gunshots struck the facility. The municipality is now deserted by the majority.
UN peacekeepers were sent to the DRC at the end of January to safeguard a Mweso escape route. Many have sought safety in Sake.
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