Heavy Fighting Claims Over 100 Lives in Goma, DRC Amidst M23 Rebel Advance
Intense clashes between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) army and the M23 rebels have resulted in at least 100 fatalities and 1,000 injuries in the city of Goma over the past three days. The fighting erupted after M23 fighters, allegedly backed by Rwanda, entered the city on Sunday, creating a dire humanitarian crisis, as noted by Jens Laerke from the UN humanitarian office.
Local hospitals are overwhelmed with victims suffering from gunshot wounds and shrapnel injuries. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, more than 100 patients with severe injuries were admitted within 24 hours, primarily children. The conflict has displaced over 500,000 people since January, according to DRC Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner.
Protests have erupted in Kinshasa, the capital, against perceived foreign complicity in the violence, leading to the attacks on several embassies. The U.S. has advised its citizens in Goma to shelter in place and to leave the country as soon as possible. The M23 militia is one of over 100 armed factions vying for control of the mineral-rich eastern DRC, a region critical for the production of tantalum and cobalt.