Key Points
- Rebels have seized Goma’s airport, cutting off vital aid.
- Thousands flee as M23 continues its offensive in eastern Congo.
- U.N. reports rapes, looting, and hospitals overwhelmed by casualties.
On Tuesday, rebels took control of the airport in Goma, the biggest city in eastern Congo, severing a vital supply line for supplies to hundreds of thousands of displaced people. Dead bodies were strewn in the streets after the offensive, which saw M23 fighters take control of the city.
Rebels take control of Goma airport in escalating violence
Monday saw the worst escalation of a three-decade conflict since 2012 as M23 rebels marched into Goma. Conflicts over Congo’s mineral wealth and the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide are the root causes of the conflict. The rebels are inside the city and have control of the airport, according to the UN.
“Given the proliferation of weapons, there are real risks of a breakdown of law and order in the city,” U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated, characterizing the situation as “tense and fluid.” U.N. personnel and peacekeepers have been compelled to take refuge in their bases.
Two sources claim that the U.S. State Department has ordered embassy employees to depart Congo. Only non-essential staff were notified, according to one source, while another stated the departure will take place on Wednesday. According to Congo and the director of U.N. peacekeeping, Rwandan forces are in Goma to assist M23 fighters.Â
According to Dujarric, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres urged Rwanda to safeguard civilians during a Tuesday meeting with the presidents of Congo and Rwanda.
According to U.N. humanitarian office spokesperson Jens Laerke, there are “many dead bodies in the streets.” Reports of rapes, looting, and damage to humanitarian institutions were also mentioned by him. International humanitarian authorities said the city’s hospitals are overburdened and are treating hundreds of injured people in the corridors.
The chairman of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Congo, Francois Moreillon, told Reuters that a pharmacy had been plundered. He brought up the issue of a lab harboring harmful bacteria, such as Ebola.
According to Moreillon, “Shelling could compromise the lab’s structure, potentially releasing dangerous pathogens.”
U.N. confirms tense situation amid risks of regional escalation
The United Nations and other international powers are concerned that the conflict might turn into a regional battle, similar to the wars that raged from 1996 to 1997 and from 1998 to 2003, which claimed millions of lives, primarily from starvation and illness.
Fighting has resulted in casualties among U.N. peacekeepers. According to South Africa, three of its soldiers were killed in crossfire between rebels and government forces. Thirteen South Africans have died in the last week after a fourth soldier passed away from wounds sustained during earlier combat.
