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Approach of M23 rebels spreads panic in eastern DR Congo

Panic has spread in Goma as M23 rebels close in on the main city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRCongo) after taking control of a nearby town.

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Heavy artillery explosions were heard Thursday on the distant outskirts of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, and hundreds of wounded civilians were brought to the main hospital in the fighting area.

The rebel group has made significant advances in recent weeks, closing in on Goma, which has around two million inhabitants and is a regional hub for security and humanitarian assistance.

Rebels seized Saque on Thursday, a town just 27 kilometers (17 miles) from Goma and one of the last on the main route to the North Kivu capital still under the control of Congolese government forces.

The M23 is one of more than 100 armed groups active in eastern DR Congo, which is rich in gold, rare metals essential to the world's largest technology companies, and several other mineral resources.

The M23 - formed on April 4, 2012, when 300 soldiers from the DR Congo Armed Forces rose up due to alleged non-compliance with the peace agreement of March 23, 2009, which gives the movement its name, and the loss of power of the then leader, Bosco Ntaganda - took up arms again in late 2021, after a decade of being dormant.

More than seven million people have been displaced by the fighting. In early January, the M23 took the towns of Minova, Katale and Masisi, west of Goma.

“The people of Goma have suffered a lot, as have the other Congolese,” M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka said on the social network X. “The M23 is on the path to liberation and they need to prepare to receive that liberation.” ”, he added.

The M23 took over Goma in 2012 and controlled the city for over a week.

As news of the fighting spread on Thursday morning, schools in Goma sent students home.

The DR Congo, the United States and UN experts accuse Rwanda of supporting the M23, made up mainly of ethnic Tutsi elements who broke away from the Congolese army more than a decade ago.

The Rwandan government denies the allegation, but in 2023 admitted that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard Rwandan security, in the face of the buildup of Congolese forces near the border.

UN experts estimate that there are around four thousand Rwandan armed forces in the DR Congo, which also borders Angola.

On Wednesday, Congolese Communications Minister Patrick Muyaya told French broadcaster France 24 that war with Rwanda was an “option to be considered.”

On Thursday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned “in the strongest terms the new offensive launched by the March 23 Movement (M23)”, including the “taking of Sake”.

“This offensive has a devastating impact on the civilian population and increases the risk of a wider regional war,” said the statement by Guterres, who urged “all parties to respect human rights and international humanitarian law”.

The US Embassy in Congo's capital Kinshasa warned of "an increase in the severity of the armed conflict near Sake" and advised US citizens in Goma to be vigilant in case they have to flee at any time.

The UK has also issued a travel warning, stating that the M23 currently controls Saque, and urging British citizens to leave Goma while roads are open.

Many Sake residents have joined the more than 178,000 people who have fled the M23 advance in the past two weeks.

The CBCA Ndosho Hospital in Goma is operating at capacity, with hundreds of injured people admitted on Thursday.

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