Days after rebel forces declared they had taken over, residents of the besieged city of Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo say they are terrified as bullets continue to reverberate around their houses.
seeking continues for a third day between government forces and members of the AFC/M23 rebel coalition seeking to retake the city, with hundreds more injured and several reported dead, including Western peacekeepers.
Aid organizations reported horrific atrocities against people and that hospitals are overburdened with patients.
There are “many dead bodies” on the streets, according to Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the UN humanitarian office, who also mentioned that fighters have allegedly raped civilians.
Camilie, a resident of Goma, told Newsline he heard gunshots and blasts and saw bullet casings in his backyard. He declined to provide his full name for security reasons.
According to Camille, who resides in the Himbi suburb of Goma, “people are hiding in their houses.” “We spend the night in the dark because people are afraid because we don’t have internet, water, or electricity.”
He went on to say that there had been other reports of robbery and looting in the region.
There was a little period of calm yesterday, and everyone believed that everything had ended. Some were able to purchase items when they ventured out into the streets. And there was a lot of robbing and looting going on during the crisis. The local populace has robbed numerous stores and warehouses.
Despite hearing explosions on Wednesday morning, Rams Kiriza, who resides in the heart of Goma, stated that “for the moment, the situation is calm.”
Kiriza stated that although the rebels had ordered residents to leave, they had not yet taken control of any areas of the city.
The rebel alliance informed Newsline earlier this week that they had taken control of the city, despite Congolese officials accusing them of receiving support from Rwanda. Goma is the largest city in eastern Congo and the provincial capital of North Kivu, with a population of about 2 million.
Amid the battle, medical and humanitarian facilities have come under threat. Virginie Napolitano, the emergency coordinator for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in North Kivu, reported on Wednesday that medical supplies had been stolen and that a bullet had struck the roof of the operating room at the Kyeshero hospital while an operation was taking place.
The civilian population is greatly impacted by this fighting. According to a press statement issued on Wednesday, MSF’s chief of programs in North Kivu, Stephan Goetghebuer, stated, “In addition to the wounded and dead, we are receiving devastating reports from internally displaced people camps where our teams can no longer go.”
In neighboring cities, the fighting in Goma is also causing alarm. Benjamin Lindani, a Congolese national from Bukavu, told Newsline that there were large lineups at banks and markets and that “everyone is trying to rush to get some money out of their banks and get some food from supermarkets.”
There are several government military troops and pro-government militia fighters in Bukavu who have stolen stuff from certain citizens, David Cikuru, the head of a civil society organization in Goma who just relocated to Bukavu. He claimed that shooting was also audible outside the city.
Rebels assert control.
“The situation is very calm,” AFC spokesman Victor Tesongo told Newsline on Wednesday. Despite a few minor conflicts with the government military, we have taken over the city.
According to Tesongo, a stadium in Goma has been made available to accept government forces that are surrendering.
Following M23’s 48-hour ultimatum, “hundreds” of Congolese soldiers handed down their arms, according to a statement released Monday by the Uruguayan army, whose soldiers are part of the UN peacekeeping force in Goma.
Additionally, images of Congolese soldiers departing Goma and handing over their weapons to Rwandan forces at a border station was shown by Rwanda’s public media.
The Congolese government acknowledged the rebels’ presence in Goma but did not confirm their takeover. North Kivu, which the Congolese military has described as being “under a state of siege,” had a new military governor named earlier Wednesday.
The army declared that it was still “wholly committed to upholding the protection of the populace, neutralizing armed groups, and restoring the authority of the State.”
According to a French intelligence source who spoke to newsline, the rebels took over Goma’s airport on Tuesday and stopped the Congolese army from sending an ammunition cargo to the city.
Additionally, the violence spread to Kinshasa, the country’s capital, when demonstrators set fire to a number of African and Western embassies, including Rwanda’s.
Requests for a cease-fire
Washington is “deeply troubled” by the violence in eastern Congo, which borders Rwanda, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rubio urged warring sides to guarantee “an immediate ceasefire” and “respect sovereign territorial integrity” during a Tuesday phone conversation with Paul Kagame, the head of Rwanda.
“The need to ensure a ceasefire… and address the root causes of the conflict once and for all,” Kagame said, characterizing the discussion as “productive.”
Rwanda was accused by the Congolese government of providing the M23 with both troops and weapons. The accusations are not refuted by Rwanda.
Yolande Makolo, a government spokesman for Rwanda, told newsline that her nation “will do what is necessary to defend our borders and protect Rwandans.”
Kenyan President William Ruto announced Monday that Eastern African leaders will have an emergency summit this week to discuss answers to the issue, and he urged Kagame and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi “to heed the call for peace.”
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