GOMA: Gunfire, Overflowing Hospitals, and Streets Strewn with Bodies

Summary:

• Hospitals were overwhelmed, treating wounded patients in hallways.

---

GOMA (DRC): Dead bodies littered the streets, gunfire echoed, and hospitals overflowed with the wounded in Goma, eastern Congo’s largest city, on Tuesday. M23 rebels, allegedly backed by Rwanda, faced scattered resistance from the Congolese army and pro-government militias after taking control of the city.

A day after the rebels marched into Goma, protests erupted in the capital, Kinshasa, where crowds attacked U.N. compounds and embassies, including those of Rwanda, France, and the U.S., accusing foreign powers of meddling.

The M23 offensive marks the worst escalation since 2012 in a conflict stemming from the aftermath of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide and the struggle for control over Congo’s vast mineral wealth. The Congolese government and U.N. officials accuse Rwanda of deploying troops to support M23, a claim Rwanda denies, stating its actions are defensive against Congolese militias threatening its security.

Despite dozens of Congolese soldiers surrendering, some troops and militias continued to fight. Residents reported small arms fire and explosions near the airport.

“I’ve heard gunfire since midnight,” said an elderly woman in Goma’s northern Majengo neighborhood. Jens Laerke, a U.N. humanitarian spokesperson, confirmed reports of heavy fire across the city and described streets filled with corpses, as well as looting and attacks on healthcare facilities.

Hospitals were overwhelmed, treating wounded patients in hallways. Explosions also struck a Catholic hospital’s maternity ward and a priest’s residence, according to Bishop Willy Ngumbi. “The youth are armed, and fighting is now within the city,” he said.

The conflict has ignited fears of a regional war reminiscent of Congo’s brutal conflicts in the late 1990s and early 2000s, which claimed millions of lives.

In Kinshasa, protesters burned tires and chanted anti-Rwanda slogans, attacking diplomatic missions seen as sympathetic to Rwanda. Targets included embassies of Rwanda, France, the U.S., Uganda, and Kenya.

“What Rwanda is doing has the complicity of France, the U.S., and Belgium. How many times do we have to die?” protester Joseph Ngoy demanded.

The U.N. peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, has been caught in the crossfire. South Africa reported three peacekeepers killed during fighting, bringing its fatalities to 13 in one week. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Rwandan President Paul Kagame have discussed a ceasefire.

The fighting has displaced thousands, with Goma, a critical hub for aid, overwhelmed. Over 3 million people in eastern Congo were already displaced last year, and recent fighting has compounded the crisis.

M23, a Tutsi-led, Rwandan-backed insurgency, resumed hostilities in 2022, a decade after briefly capturing Goma in a prior rebellion. Despite international calls for restraint, M23 has advanced through North Kivu province, claiming it seeks to overthrow President Félix Tshisekedi.

Rwanda, accused of deploying 3,000–4,000 troops to support M23, has rejected demands to withdraw, citing threats from Hutu militias tied to the perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

The Congolese government has urged global powers to pressure Rwanda, potentially through sanctions. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the M23 offensive in a call with President Tshisekedi and reaffirmed U.S. support for Congo’s sovereignty.

The U.N. Security Council is set to discuss the crisis again as fears of further escalation grow