Congo’s forces try to slow Rwanda-backed rebels in the east as protests break out in the capital

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Congo’s security forces were fighting on Tuesday against Rwanda-backed rebels who advanced into a key eastern city in a major escalation of a decadeslong conflict.

Residents reported gunfire overnight in Goma, a city of 2 million people which the rebels claimed to have captured on Monday. Explosions and gunfire were heard near the now-shut Goma airport.

Goma is a regional trade and humanitarian hub holding hundreds of thousands of the more than 6 million people displaced by eastern Congo’s prolonged conflict over ethnic tensions that have resulted in one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

The M23 rebels are one of about 100 armed groups vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich region in the conflict, one of Africa’s largest. The rebels temporarily took over Goma in 2012 before being forced to pull out under international pressure, and resurfaced in late 2021 with increasing support from Rwanda, according to Congo’s government and United Nations experts. Rwanda has denied such support.

It was unclear how much of Goma is controlled by the rebels, who marched into the city early Monday to both fear and cheers among residents. It was the culmination of weeks of fighting during which the rebels captured several towns in a shocking advance.

“Since morning we have heard bomb explosions and crackling bullets,” said Sam Luwawa, a resident of Goma. “So far we cannot say who really controls the city.”

Three South African peacekeepers were killed on Monday when the rebels launched a mortar bomb toward the Goma airport which landed on the nearby South African National Defense Force, while a fourth soldier succumbed to injuries sustained in fighting days ago, the South African Department of Defense said Tuesday.

That makes 17 peacekeepers and foreign soldiers who have been killed in the fighting, according to U.N. and army officials.

The humanitarian situation in Goma “is extremely, extremely worrying, with a new threshold of violence and suffering reached today,” Bruno Lemarquis, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Congo, told reporters in a video news conference on Monday. He said hundreds of thousands of people were attempting to flee the violence.

There were active combat zones in all areas of the city, with civilians taking cover and heavy artillery fire directed at the city center on Monday, Lemarquis said. He said several shells struck the Charité Maternelle Hospital in central Goma, “killing and injuring civilians, including newborns and pregnant women.”

“What is unfolding in Goma is coming on top of what is already one of the most protracted, complex, serious humanitarian crises on Earth, with close to 6.5 million displaced people in the country, including close to 3 million displaced people in North Kivu,” Lemarquis said.

Aid groups are reporting they are unable to reach displaced people who rely on them for food and other necessities.

“Key roads surrounding Goma are blocked, and the city’s airport can no longer be used for evacuation and humanitarian efforts. Power and water have reportedly been cut to many areas of the city,” said David Munkley, head of operations in eastern Congo for the Christian aid group World Vision.

In addition to the U.N., several countries including the United States, United Kingdom and France have condemned Rwanda for the rebel advance. The country, however, blames Congo for the escalation, saying it failed to honor past peace agreements, necessitating Rwanda’s “sustained defensive posture.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the advance by the Rwanda-backed rebels in a call with Congo President Félix Tshisekedi on Monday during which both leaders agreed on the importance of advancing efforts to restart peace talks between Congo and Rwanda “as soon as possible,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.

The Congolese leader will address the nation on the conflict, authorities said, amid growing pressure to act on the escalation and as protests broke out in the capital of Kinshasa, with demonstrators condemning Rwanda for its role in the conflict.

Opposition leader Martin Fayulu appeared to suggest the president was not doing enough to respond to the crisis. In a statement, Fayulu called for protests against Rwanda and for support for Congo from the international community, adding: “If Mr. Félix Tshisekedi persists in standing in the way, he will be held solely responsible for the decline of our nation and will have to resign.”

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Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria. Associated Press writers Christina Malkia and Jean-Yves Kamale in Kinshasa, Congo, Edith M. Lederer in New York and Sam Mednick in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Justin Kabumba And Chinedu Asadu, The Associated Press