Intense Combat Erupts in Goma, Congo
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Synopsis
Heavy fighting erupted in Goma, DRC, with intense gunfire and artillery fire reported overnight. Residents fled to safety as clashes involved M23 rebels and pro-government forces. The UN estimates significant displacement due to ongoing violence, raising humanitarian concerns.
Key Takeaways
- Intense fighting occurred overnight in Goma, DRC.
- M23 rebels have controlled the area since January.
- Ongoing violence has displaced approximately one million people.
- UN officials express alarm over targeted attacks on civilians.
- Many individuals are seeking refuge in unsafe conditions.
Goma, April 12 (NationPress) Heavy artillery and gunfire rocked the western districts of Goma overnight from Friday to Saturday, sending shockwaves of fear throughout the city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as reported by local sources.
Residents in the Keshero and Lac-Vert areas reported significant shooting and blasts starting around 10 pm local time on Friday. The onslaught persisted for several hours, forcing civilians to either flee or find refuge indoors.
A fragile calm returned on Saturday morning, yet no official casualty counts were available by midday.
Local media indicated that the clashes involved the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels, who have held Goma since January, along with armed groups believed to be linked with the pro-government Wazalendo militias and the DRC armed forces (FARDC).
In a statement broadcasted by the local branch of the Congolese National Radio and Television, the M23 accused the FARDC-Wazalendo coalition of launching coordinated offensives against its positions throughout the night.
Since taking control of Goma in late January, the M23 has set up a parallel administration in the provincial capital of North Kivu, as reported by Xinhua news agency. Hostilities have continued to escalate throughout the province, a region plagued by eastern DRC's enduring conflict.
The United Nations has estimated that approximately one million individuals, including around 400,000 children, have been newly displaced since late January across the North and South Kivu provinces due to ongoing clashes between government forces and rival armed groups.
Rising violence in the three easternmost provinces of the DRC is causing significant concern for civilians, including humanitarian workers, a UN humanitarian official remarked last month.
Bruno Lemarquis, the UN resident humanitarian coordinator for the DRC, expressed alarm over the recent surge in targeted violence against civilians, including aid workers, and civilian infrastructure in Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces.
Lemarquis stated that the attacks, which include the abduction of numerous patients from two hospitals, are serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws and jeopardize relief efforts aimed at assisting millions of civilians.
According to UNHCR, about 17,000 individuals around the North Kivu capital of Goma remain in displacement sites, schools, and churches, while 414,000 people have been displaced over the past four weeks, prompted by the de facto authorities to return to their home villages.
The agency reported that at least 209,000 people from these sites have spontaneously relocated to Masisi, Nyiragongo, and Rutshuru territories, where essential services are ill-prepared for the sudden influx. Given the widespread insecurity in the provinces and surrounding areas, many more may require crossing borders to seek protection and aid.
