GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – Rwanda-backed M23 rebels faced pockets of resistance from army and pro-government militia overnight after entering eastern Congo’s largest city Goma in the worst escalation of a conflict that has run for more than a decade.
Residents in several neighbourhoods reported small arms fire and some loud explosions on Tuesday morning, particularly close to the airport, which sources said was still held by United Nations peacekeepers and government troops.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke to his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame to discuss the recent escalation in Congo, where nine South African peacekeepers have been killed this week, and the pair agreed on the need for a ceasefire.
“There was a period of calm last night but the shooting started again at midnight (2300 GMT),” an elderly woman in Goma’s northern Majengo neighbourhood, close to the airport, told Reuters.
“I have heard the crackle of gunfire from midnight until now… it is coming from near the airport,” she said.
Another resident in Majengo confirmed gunfire overnight and into Tuesday morning.
“I’m lying on the ground with my family,” they said.
As the largest city in eastern Congo, Goma is a vital humanitarian hub for the region and gateway for the trade in ores of tantalum and tin, which are used in phones and computers.
M23, the latest in a string of Rwandan-backed insurgents who have fought a series of rebellions in the east against Democratic Republic of Congo’s central government, took up arms again in 2022, a decade after a previous insurgency.
In recent weeks they made swift gains through North Kivu province, on the border with Rwanda, before closing in on Goma, a city of nearly two million people, and forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes.
They have ignored calls from world leaders to halt their offensive. Rwanda, which previously denied the presence of its military in Congo, has also dismissed calls for troops to leave, saying its country’s security is threatened.
With troops in both the U.N. mission and a Southern African force, South Africa has borne the brunt of the casualties among peacekeepers.
Critics have accused South Africa’s government of not doing enough to make sure its troops were properly equipped for the conflict.
A statement issued by the South African presidency after Ramaphosa and Kagame spoke made no mention of the deaths.
“The two heads of state have agreed on the urgent need for a ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks by all parties to the conflict,” it said.
(Reporting by Yassin Kombi in Goma and Giulia Paravicini in Nairobi; Writing by Hereward Holland and David Lewis; Editing by Michael Perry)
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