The insurgent militia supported by Rwanda announced the conquest of Goma in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a major victory of the group and one of the most important escalation of the conflict between the two countries in recent years.
The militia, known as the M23, shortly before, in 2012, occupied GOM, then was defeated and lay idle for almost ten years. Now she has returned with Hukot and its goal is to occupy the region for a long time and use its valuable rare minerals, the United Nations experts say.
This time it seems that the M23 is in a stronger position to maintain Gom, a city consisting mainly of people who have left their homes in horror and now have to live under the dominance of one of the armed groups they fled.
M23 spokesman announced “Goma’s liberation” in the X contribution, where it is said that the Congolese military staff had to hand over their UN weapons before 3:00 and gather at the stadium. However, there was no confirmation that would be completed, and there were reports of shooting in the city by Monday morning.
The conflict in the Eastern Congo – the size of Michigan – was once described as the World War II in Africa. It has been running since the 1990s and has been involved in dozens of armed groups, of which M23 is currently dominated.
According to the UN and the United States, which claim that the group is financed and managed by a much smaller neighbor Kong Rwanda, the rebels plan to occupy and use the region for a long time. Rwanda denies this accusation.
rebels proceed to GOMwhich started offensive in the region started this month, in the last three weeks escalated quickly and forced people to escape to – AZ – city.
On Sunday morning, thousands of people from the areas north of the city arrived in Goma, some of them took the few things that they managed to capture, in pieces of fabric tied around the forehead, others carried only a few days old babies. Many were already displaced and fled from the bombs that fallen near the camps. Others left their villages, which found themselves in cross fire between M23 and the Congolese armed forces.
The Goma’s suburbs, which hosted more than 300,000 people, have emptied completely in a few hours, the UN said.
On Friday, according to the spokesman of the Congolese army, the military governor of Northern Kiva, Goma was the capital of the capital, was fatally injured on the battlefield. The circumstances of his death remained unclear, but the spokesman said Governor, General Peter Cirimwami, died when he was evacuated to Kinshasa, the capital of Congo.
On Saturday, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Goma evacuated many of its employees from the city and put them on buses to the airport with a plan to fly to Entebbe in the neighboring Uganda.
In 2012, Rwanda got under intensive international pressure to stop supporting M23, and as a result the militia was defeated the following year. However, it is not clear whether such pressure can be re -induced, experts said. Since then, Rwanda has built relations with Western nations and has become less dependent on help.
At an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council on Sunday, the United States and other members condemned the actions of Rwanda, but stopped before the sanctions. Binta Keita, head of the UN Peace Mission in Congo, said at the meeting that three members of the peace forces were killed in an effort to protect GOM and the nearby city of Saké from the M23 procedure. She also said that the rebels closed the air space over Gomou.
“In other words, we are trapped,” she said.
As the rebels progressed at GOM, the already terrible humanitarian situation was getting worse. According to the UN since the beginning of this year, more than 400,000 people have left their homes. refugee agencyWhen the rebels M23 attacked the new areas of the province of Northern Kiva, where there is Goma and South Kiv. They joined 4.6 million people who were already displaced in the east of Congo.
Yet people flowed into Goma, often in long columns.
Some pushed trackers with a few saved things. Some had wheels or wore mattresses on their heads and back. Many of them had life -threatening injuries.
Myriam Favier, head of the SubdDelegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Goma, said on Friday that the day before she had arrived at the hospital where she worked, more than 100 people in 24 hours – usually the number of people who arrive. for a month.
“They come from everywhere,” she said. “They come from all the fronts.”
Mrs. Favier described medical staff nursing patients with wounds of mortar or fragments and stated that the number of minors with serious injuries is growing significantly. She urged those who use heavy artillery to limit their attacks, and stated that so many people came with head and chest injury, that the hospital had run out of bed and had to store patients on the parking lot.
Throughout Goma, schools changed into hiding for displaced people. Families accumulated supplies that could not have to go out.
Many people who fled were looking for refuge in Goma because they knew it was in the Rebel’s viewfinder, but they had no other option.
When the city got into the hands of M23, they hid where they could, many of them hungry, cold or seriously injured. Some slept on the street, others in hospitals.
Solange Safi Ndakwinja tried to take care of her three daughters, who were seriously injured by a bomb that exploded at the army control station.
“I hope God will help us,” Mrs. Ndakwinja said. “We don’t know what happens at the rest.”
Elian Peltier contributed by reports from Dakar, Senegal and Declan Walsh from Nairobi in Kenya.
