Rwanda-backed rebels in DRC say they have taken control of Goma

GOMA, Democratic Republic of the Congo — 

Rwanda-backed rebels claimed they captured eastbound Congo's largest city, Goma, aboriginal Monday, arsenic the United Nations described a "mass panic" among its 2 cardinal radical and Congo's authorities said the rebel beforehand was a "declaration of war."

The M23 rebels announced the city's seizure successful a connection minutes earlier a 48-hour deadline imposed by the radical for the Congolese service to surrender their weapons expired.

In a statement, the rebels urged residents of Goma to stay calm and for members of the Congolese subject to assemble astatine the cardinal stadium.

The M23 rebels' violative successful the bosom of the mineral-rich portion threatens to dramatically worsen 1 of Africa's longest wars and further displace civilians. According to a United Nations report, implicit a 3rd of the colonisation of North Kivu state wherever Goma is located are presently displaced and the seizure of Goma volition apt exacerbate the situation.

Late Sunday night, UN peacekeepers began to process members of the subject who had begun to surrender connected the outskirts of the city.

Congolese authorities spokesperson Patrick Muyaya made a connection successful a video posted connected X calling for the extortion of civilians and saying that the state is "in a warfare concern wherever the quality is changing."

Late Sunday, the U.N.'s peculiar typical for Congo told an exigency gathering of the U.N. Security Council that with the airdrome unopen down and roads blocked successful the immense region's humanitarian and information hub, "we are trapped."

Congo precocious Saturday broke disconnected relations with Rwanda, which has denied backing the M23 contempt grounds collected by U.N. experts and others. The surge of unit has killed astatine slightest 13 peacekeepers implicit the past week. And Congolese were again connected the run.

The M23 has made important territorial gains on Congo's borderline with Rwanda successful caller weeks, aft months of determination attempts to marque bid failed. On Sunday night, the rebels called connected Congo's service to surrender their arms and contiguous themselves astatine a section stadium by 3 a.m. oregon they would instrumentality the city.

The Uruguayan army, who are successful Goma serving with the U.N. peacekeeping mission, said successful a connection connected X precocious Sunday that immoderate Congolese soldiers person laid down their weapons.

"More than a 100 FARDC soldiers are sheltered successful the facilities of the "Siempre Presente" basal awaiting the (Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration) process," the connection said.

In photos shared with the statement, equipped men are seen registering with the peacekeepers successful a premix of subject uniforms and civilian clothing.

The U.N. peculiar representative, Bintou Keita, told the Security Council that contempt U.N. peacekeepers' enactment for the Congolese equipped forces, M23 and Rwandan forces entered the Munigi vicinity connected Goma's outskirts, "causing wide panic." Munigi is 9 kilometers (5 miles) from the city.

Keita said M23 fighters were advancing and utilizing residents "as quality shields" arsenic others fled for their lives.

"M23 has declared the airspace implicit Goma closed," she added. "In different words, we are trapped." She said the U.N. was temporarily relocating nonessential unit from the city.

Congo's overseas minister, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, told the Security Council that Rwanda was committing "a frontal aggression, a declaration of warfare which nary longer hides itself down diplomatic maneuvers."

Rwanda's ambassador to the U.N., Ernest Rwamucyo, did not corroborate oregon contradict Congo's claims. He blamed Congo's government, saying the situation could person been been averted if it had "demonstrated a genuine committedness to peace."

The United States and France called for a ceasefire and appealed to Rwanda to retreat its enactment to M23, with acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea informing that the U.S. would "consider each the tools astatine its disposal" to clasp accountable those liable for sustaining the equipped conflict.

In the past 48 hours, 2 U.N. peacekeepers from South Africa and 1 from Uruguay were killed and 11 others were injured and hospitalized, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' spokesperson said up of the Security Council meeting.

The U.N. main reiterated his "strongest condemnation" of the M23 violative "with the enactment of the Rwanda Defense Forces," and called connected the rebel radical to instantly halt each hostile enactment and withdraw, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

Congo cuts ties with Rwanda

Congo, the United States and U.N. experts impeach Rwanda of backing M23, which is chiefly made up of taste Tutsis who broke distant from the Congolese service much than a decennary ago. It's 1 of astir 100 equipped groups that person been vying for a foothold successful the mineral-rich region, wherever a long-running struggle has created 1 of the world's largest humanitarian crises.

Rwanda's authorities denies backing the rebels, but past twelvemonth acknowledged that it has troops and rocket systems successful eastbound Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a buildup of Congolese forces adjacent the border. U.N. experts estimation up to 4,000 Rwandan forces are successful Congo.

Congo's overseas ministry said precocious Saturday it was severing diplomatic ties with Rwanda and pulling each diplomatic unit from the state "with contiguous effect."

Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe told The Associated Press connected Sunday that the determination to chopped ties was a unilateral determination by Congo.

"For us, we took due measures to evacuate our remaining diplomat successful Kinshasa, who was nether imperishable menace by Congolese officials," Nduhungirehe said.

The M23 took Goma erstwhile earlier successful 2012, withdrawing aft sizeable planetary unit was enactment connected Rwanda.

Civilians fly the rebel advance

On Sunday morning, dense gunfire resonated crossed Goma, a fewer kilometers (miles) from the beforehand line. Scores of children and adults fled the Kanyaruchinya camp, 1 of the largest successful eastbound Congo for displaced people, adjacent the Rwandan border.

"We are fleeing due to the fact that we saw soldiers connected the borderline with Rwanda throwing bombs and shooting," said Safi Shangwe, who was heading into the city.

Some of the displaced disquieted they would not beryllium harmless successful Goma, either. "I heard that determination are bombs successful Goma, too, truthful present we don't cognize wherever to go," said Adèle Shimiye.

Hundreds of radical attempted to fly to Rwanda. Migration officers astatine a borderline crossing eastbound of Goma cautiously checked question documents.

"I americium crossing to the different broadside to spot if we volition person a spot of refuge due to the fact that for the moment, information successful the metropolis is not guaranteed," Goma nonmigratory Muahadi Amani told the AP.

U.N. lawman humanitarian main Joyce Msuya said the concern was rapidly deteriorating. "If hostilities spill into Goma – a densely populated municipality halfway – the interaction connected civilians could beryllium devastating," she said.

Congo's service has said it was fending disconnected the M23 violative with the assistance of allied forces, including U.N. peacekeepers and soldiers from the Southern African Development Community Mission, besides known arsenic SAMIDRC.

In summation to the 2 South African peacekeepers, 7 South African troops with SAMIDIRC person been killed successful caller days, South Africa's defence ministry said.

Since 2021, Congo's authorities and allied forces — including the 14,000-strong U.N. ngo — person been keeping M23 distant from Goma.

Goma nonmigratory Bahati Jackson's household has been proceeding gunfire and remembers fleeing M23's seizure of the metropolis successful 2012. But this time, they're staying.

"If we're going to die, it's amended to dice here," Jackson said.