M23 Rebels declare their control over the city Goma, eastern DR Congo

A video featuring the M23 rebels who are marching with armed men in the main streets and going ahead with gun fires against the Congolese Army that led to the flee of native people estimated around tens of thousands fleeing to a safer place has gone viral on Sunday. Post this incident, the M23 rebels of Democratic Republic of Congo declared officially on Monday that they took control over the largest city Goma. But it has been denied by the government of Democratic Republic of Congo.

The available reports state that the M23 rebels have been continuing their capture of mineral-rich eastern DR Congo since 2021 and they are moving forward rapidly since the commencement of the year 2025. This led to a traumatic consequence of more than 400,000 people fleeing from their homes and home land forcibly, particularly in the provinces of North and South Kivu, as per the records of the UN refugee agency.

“People are fleeing everywhere, and we don’t know where to go any more, because we started fleeing a long time ago. The war catches us here among the host families, now we have nowhere to go” said a woman who was affected by this brutal war.

Many of the areas of the city are deferred from the power and water supply due to this uncompromised humanitarian crisis. Meanwhile, a security source has reported to AFP news agency that ‘the prison holding 3000 inmates was totally torched and that the jailbreak has resulted in deaths’. However, on Monday these critical situations had led the Congolese soldiers to surrender to the rebels along with their arms after the end of the 48-hour deadline.

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