Thousands flee as M23 rebels close in on key city of Goma

Thousands of people are fleeing towns in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as insurgents close in on the city of Goma.

Explosions and gunfire were heard in the city – home to more than a million people – late Sunday evening, according to local media reports.

A spokesman for the terrorist group told Reuters news agency that its forces captured the city of Goma at 03:00 local time (01:00 GMT).

This has come a few hours after DR Congo’s foreign minister accused Rwanda of starting a war by sending its troops across the country’s borders to support the M23 rebels. Rwanda has said that Kinshasa supports the military that wants to change the government in Kigali.

Kenya has called for a ceasefire, and has announced that both the presidents of DR Congo and Rwanda will attend an emergency meeting in the next two days.

Kenya’s President William Ruto, who is the chairman of the East African Community, said it is the responsibility of regional leaders to help resolve these conflicts peacefully.

In the meantime, the M23 rebels have asked the Congolese soldiers in Goma to surrender for fear of bloodshed.

The group has controlled most of the mineral-rich eastern DR Congo since 2021. In the past few weeks, the group has been making rapid progress in Goma amid fierce fighting.

Since the beginning of 2025, more than 400,000 people have fled North and South Kivu, regions near the border with Rwanda, according to the UN refugee agency.

Another woman who fled her home, Alice Feza, said she did not know what to do, as she had fled from Kiwanja, Rutshuru, Kibumba and now she is in Goma.

People are fleeing everywhere, we don’t know where to go because we started fleeing a long time ago,” said Mrs. Feza, adding: “The war is holding us here among the families we live with, now we have nowhere to go. .”

Major roads around Goma have been closed and the city’s airport can no longer be used for evacuations and aid, the UN said.

UN Secretary General António Guterres has asked Rwanda to withdraw its troops from DR Congo and the M23 terrorist group to stop going to Goma.

Guterres, in a statement through his spokesperson, called on Rwanda to “stop supporting M23 and withdraw from the territory of the DRC”. He also asked the M23 to “immediately stop all hostile activities and leave the occupied areas”.

This has come when 13 soldiers working for peacekeeping have been killed in the fighting with the terrorists.

The UK has called for an end to violence against peacekeepers, while the UN representative in France, Nicolas de Rivière, reiterated Guterres’ request for Rwanda to withdraw its troops from DR Congo.

Both the DR Congo and the UN say that the M23 group is supported by Rwanda.

Rwanda has not denied this, but the country’s leaders blame DR Congo for the current conflicts.

Speaking at the Security Council meeting, the UN representative in Rwanda, Ernest Rwamucyo, said he was saddened that foreign countries chose to criticize the M23 group instead of criticizing the Congolese army, which he said had violated the ceasefire.

On Saturday, the UN said it would evacuate all its non-essential personnel from Goma. Important projects are underway in DR Congo.