GOMA, DR Congo
A rocket landed near a university in the Congolese city of Goma on Wednesday as thousands of civilians fled a fresh advance by M23 rebels that threatens to isolate the city of around two million people.
There were no casualties from
the strike, which blasted a crater into open ground in the Lac Vert
neighbourhood, but it underscored the potential threat to Goma, a strategic
urban hub in the Democratic Republic of Congo's conflict-ridden east.
"This shows that M23 is
targeting Goma now. The government has to do something to stop M23's
progress," 25-year student Sophonie Bayonga said at the scene.
The M23 launched a major
offensive in 2022, which led to military intervention and mediation efforts by
East African regional leaders. They brokered a ceasefire last year but it has
been repeatedly violated.
Congo, Western powers and a
U.N. expert group have said the Tutsi-led rebel group is supported by
neighbouring Rwanda, which Rwanda denies.
Clashes between the rebels,
army forces and self-defence groups that support them have escalated recently,
forcing entire communities to flee to perceived areas of greater safety on the
outskirts of Goma.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, U.N.
under-secretary-general for peace operations, described the situation around
Goma as "very worrying" after an official visit to the province this
week.
"It raises the risk of a
regional explosion," he said on Wednesday, calling on the M23 to
immediately cease its offensive and for diplomatic efforts to resume with all
actors in the region.
He called for a reinforcement
of Congolese forces in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, the three provinces
that a U.N. peacekeeping force is due to leave this year as part of its
disengagement from the country.
Congo's government this week
promised that it would not let Goma, which is situated on Lake Kivu close to
the border with Rwanda, fall into M23 hands, as it did briefly in 2012.
The M23 said in a statement on
Wednesday that this was not its goal and described its actions as
"defensive manoeuvres".
Civilians have borne the brunt
of the violence, with many killed in bombings and reprisal attacks.
Around 42,000 people have been
displaced by the fighting since Friday, the U.N.'s humanitarian office OCHA
said on Tuesday.
Congo's army said on Wednesday
that a second M23 bomb had hit a village about 15 km (9 miles) from the centre
of Goma, between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
It added in a statement that
its forces were fighting back attacks by the rebels around the nearby town of
Sake.
The M23 made major advances
last month that brought the conflict closer to Goma.
Natalia Torrent, head of a
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) team in Mweso, about 100 km north of Goma, said
clashes broke out two weeks ago as the army and pro-government militia tried to
reclaim the town. Fighting picked up again over the weekend, wounding around 30
people, she said.
MSF has evacuated some of its
staff after bullets struck a hospital in which thousands of Mweso residents
were taking shelter. Most have since deserted the town.
The sound of bombing and
gunfire rings out daily in both Sake and Goma, residents and Reuters reporters
say.
"There was a lot of
gunfire back home. The M23 burnt houses down and took everything," said
Elisabeth Rebecca, who fled to Sake on Sunday from a nearby village.
"Some of us lost our
children, there were many dead and many wounded," she said. Around her on
the street, other displaced women cooked cornmeal over small open fires,
surrounded by children.
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