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Rebels say they have taken DR Congo city as thousands flee

Author: BBC | Published: January 27, 2025

Photo|Courtesy

Rebels of the M23 movement say they have taken control of the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s east.

Residents shared videos of M23 rebels patrolling Goma’s main streets following a lightning advance against the Congolese army on Sunday that saw tens of thousands of people fleeing neighbouring towns.

After hours of gunfire and explosions in the streets of Goma – home to more than a million people – are now quiet, according to local media reports.

It comes hours after DR Congo’s foreign minister accused Rwanda of declaring war by sending its troops over the border to support the M23 rebels. Rwanda says Kinshasa supports militias who want regime change in Kigali.

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

Kenyan President William Ruto, the current chair of the the East African Community, said it was incumbent on regional leaders to help facilitate a peaceful solution to the conflict.

The M23 group has taken control of vast parts of mineral-rich eastern DR Congo since 2021. In the past few weeks the group has been advancing swiftly on Goma amid intense fighting.

Since the start of 2025 more than 400,000 people have been displaced in north and South Kivu, provinces near the border with Rwanda, according to the UN’s refugee agency.

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