Thousands of civilians have continued to flee violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu region by all means possible, as clashes between M23 rebels and government forces intensified near the city of Goma on Sunday.
Sporadic gunfire was heard since Sunday morning in the Nyiragongo territory particularly in Munigi, bordering Goma, residents told Anadolu news agency.
“Mass movements were observed on the Kihisi-Mutinga and Kihisi-Entre roads heading to safer places while others were headed to (bordering) Rwanda from Goma,” said one resident who gave his name only as Pierre.
He added that several shops and stores remained closed in Goma as M23 rebels made rapid progress and threatened to encircle the city.
North Kivu's governor was killed last week in the latest round of violence.
A local Rwandan official in the border district of Rubavu said they had not recorded any new refugees so far but an influx of travelers from Goma had grown at the border on Sunday.
Assistance needed
The massive displacements particularly affect the localities of Bweremana, Minova, and Kalungu, where people are fleeing the violence to find refuge in schools or reportedly safer areas, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Meanwhile, the UN peacekeeping chief has called on M23 rebels to end their activities and leave the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
"It's essential for the M23 to cease its activities and withdraw from occupied territory. Violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC is a violation of the fun damental principles of international law and the UN Charter," Jean-Pierre Lacroix told an emergency UN Security Council meeting virtually on Sunday.
Bruno Lemarquis, humanitarian coordinator in Congo, expressed deep concern over the intensification of the ongoing fighting around Goma and its growing impact on the civilian population.
“Since the new M23 offensives around the city of Goma on January 23, 2025, several hundred thousand people have again been forced to flee the multiple areas of ongoing fighting, while the capacity to receive and assist people in need is already saturated,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
Airspace closed
“Some displaced people, already affected by previous crises, find themselves having to flee again.”
As of Friday, the Ndosho General Hospital in Goma was treating more than 256 wounded, including 90 civilians, most with serious injuries from bullet and artillery fire, OCHA said, noting this far exceeded its capacity of 146 beds, despite reinforcements by humanitarian partners.
The M23 rebels on Sunday announced the closure of airspace over Goma, claiming the coalition forces supporting Congo’s Kinshasa government were using Goma Airport to load bombs.
Rwanda 'backing'
M23, allegedly backed by Rwanda, has intensified its offensive in eastern Congo, capturing key towns and advancing toward Goma, capital of the North Kivu province.
Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has repeatedly denied claims of supporting the rebels.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the latest round of fighting DR Congo.
The UN chief is "deeply concerned" by the escalating violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement on Sunday.
Guterres also "reiterates his strongest condemnation" of the M23 armed group’s ongoing offensive and advances towards the city of Goma in North Kivu with the support of the Rwanda Defense Forces. Guterres called for the Rwandan forces to leave DR Congo.
UN refugee agency UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh told reporters on Friday that the number of people displaced by fighting has now surged to more than 400,000 this year alone.
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