M23 rebels tighten grip on DRC’s Goma as Romanian mercenaries leave

Goma, Congo, Jan 30, (dpa/GNA) – Rwandan-backed M23 rebels, consolidated control on Wednesday over several districts of Goma, the city in the eastern

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that has been the scene of intense fighting and widespread displacement.

The armed rebels have extended their rule to Goma’s airport, witnesses said, with fighting being less fierce than in recent days. M23 claims it is in

total control of the city.

A dpa reporter in Goma observed M23 fighters gathering Congolese government troops and their Wazalendo militia allies at a city stadium, where the M23

systematically took weapons away from their rivals.

In a sign of the rebels’ growing confidence, Corneille Nangaa, the leader of a coalition of Congolese politicians and militant groups fighting to

overthrow President Félix Tshisekedi, is expected in Goma on Wednesday. The M23 is the most important member of this alliance.

Tshisekedi has yet to publicly comment on the crisis. He had been expected to address the nation on Tuesday, but it never took place.

Goma is the capital of Congo’s mineral-rich North Kivu province, and is located near the border with Rwanda. It is home to around 2 million people.

Gunfire and explosions can still be heard in border areas, Ursula Langkamp, head of the local office of the German humanitarian aid organization

Welthungerhilfe, told dpa.

Government soldiers are showing resistance elsewhere, witnesses said, but a group of Romanian mercenaries who had protected government buildings and

fought alongside government troops on behalf of a security company have left.

After seeking refuge in the barracks of the UN peacekeeping force in recent days, they were allowed to leave and are already in the Rwandan border town

of Gisenyi.

According to Rwandan media reports, they are to be flown home from the Rwandan capital Kigali. “It’s a relief to leave the city,” one of the men told

dpa at the border crossing.

The rebel militia M23, which is backed by Rwanda according to the UN and independent analysts, entered Goma on Monday and made rapid gains.

The fighting during the advance of the M23 towards Goma, caused several hundred thousand people to flee.

The humanitarian situation in and around Goma is becoming increasingly critical, as supply routes have been disrupted, aid agencies say.

Overcrowding in the city’s hospitals also means some of the injured patients have to wait on the floor for treatment. Numerous civilians were caught in

the crossfire during the fighting.

Surgical teams are working around the clock, said Myriam Favier, head of the delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Goma.

On Tuesday alone, 37 patients with gunshot wounds were treated, said Virginie Napolitano, emergency aid coordinator for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in

Goma. About half of them were civilians.

In the Kyeshero hospital, where MSF teams are working, a bullet pierced the ceiling of the operating theatre during an operation.

GNA