At least 700 people have been killed in intense clashes in Goma, the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, since Sunday, according to the United Nations.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric reported that 2,800 others have been injured as M23 rebels, backed by Rwanda, seized control of the North Kivu provincial capital. The rebels are now advancing south towards Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu.
The decades-old conflict in eastern DR Congo has sharply escalated in recent weeks. M23, an ethnic Tutsi-led rebel group, claims to be fighting for minority rights, while the Congolese government accuses them of attempting to seize the region’s vast mineral wealth with Rwanda’s support.
Dujarric cited an assessment by the World Health Organization and its partners, conducted in coordination with the Congolese government, warning that the death toll is expected to rise.
In response to M23’s advances, DR Congo’s military has established a defensive line between Goma and Bukavu, with hundreds of civilian volunteers joining the effort to defend the city. South Kivu Governor Jean-Jacques Purusi Sadiki stated that government forces and their allies were holding back the rebels, though this claim remains unverified.
M23 has vowed to continue its offensive until reaching the capital, Kinshasa, over 2,600 km (1,600 miles) to the west. DR Congo’s Foreign Minister, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, accused Rwanda of illegally occupying Congolese territory and seeking to orchestrate regime change. Rwanda has denied the allegations, insisting its troops are only deployed to prevent the conflict from spilling across its borders.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has declared support for DR Congo, reaffirming its commitment to safeguarding the country’s sovereignty. Peacekeeping troops from South Africa and other SADC nations are in the region, with 16 soldiers killed in recent clashes around Goma.
The humanitarian situation in eastern DR Congo is worsening. The UN’s World Food Programme warned that residents of Goma are running out of food, clean water, and medical supplies as supply chains have been severely disrupted. The UN estimates that since early 2025, more than 400,000 people have been displaced due to the violence.
With DR Congo bordering nine nations, fears are growing that the escalating conflict could draw in regional powers, echoing the devastating wars of the 1990s that became known as “Africa’s World Wars.”
