Fierce Battle for Goma Town Leaves Trail of Death and Destruction in DR Congo

The city of Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has experienced a relative calm after days of intense fierce battle between the country’s army and the M23 rebels. The situation, however, remains dire, with reports of civilians being targeted, homes and shops looted, and humanitarian organisations attacked.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) says it has received reports of “rapes committed by fighters, looting of property, including of a humanitarian warehouse and humanitarian and health facilities being hit.”

The report claimed several civilian dead bodies are lying in the streets while hospitals are overwhelmed. “It is difficult to establish an exact figure but losses in human lives could be very significant,” a source from the humanitarian sector told HumAngle.

Water and electricity have been cut in Goma and internet access was interrupted, complicating the coordination of humanitarian operations. Several infrastructures, notably water installations, hygiene and sanitation structures have been destroyed thus aggravating the situation of displaced people.

Locals in places like Kanyaruchinya, Bushagara, Rusayo1 and 2 sites for displaced persons have left, with some heading towards Goma while others have found refuge in public infrastructures such as schools.

Health structures are full and overflowing, making it difficult for health providers to attend to the influx of seriously injured patients within a context marked by the interruption of water and electricity. Medical evacuations are becoming more difficult as some ambulances were targeted by combatants.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), more than 256 injured persons have been recorded in the Ndosho hospital, while the French humanitarian organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres says it is taking charge of more than 61 persons in the Kyeshero hospital.

The Goma airport has been closed since Jan. 26, leading to the suspension of air traffic including humanitarian flights and the rotation of humanitarian personnel. Most of the highways linking the town to the rest of the country have equally been cut.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights indicates a high risk of general deterioration of public order in Goma after the escape of 4,763 prisoners from the Muzenze central prison on Jan. 26.

The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, had telephone conversations with Presidents Felix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame. “They of course spoke of the actual situation in Eastern DR Congo,” declared Stephane Dujarric, the UN spokesperson, revealing that during the discussions with Paul Kagame, “the accent was laid on the necessity to protect civilians”.

President Felix had appointed Major-General Somo Kakule Evariste as the new military governor of North Kivu to replace Major-General Peter Cirimwami who was killed during combat in defence of Goma.

Faced with the escalating war situation in Goma, the Peace and Security Council of the African Union has called on the M23 armed group to stop hostilities and lay down their arms. The call was made during an emergency meeting held to denounce the persistent violence in the Eastern DR Congo.

In a declaration published on his X handle, the African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Bankole Adeoye, strongly condemned the violence perpetrated by the M23 and called on its combatants to immediately lay down their arms, recalling that priority must be given to the return of peace and stability in the region.

The African Union also called on the international community to intensify efforts in support of a peaceful resolution of the conflict and respond to the humanitarian crisis which has seriously affected the civilian populations.

In Kisangani, however, the market is almost empty with shops locked as the locals organised demonstrations in support of the DR Congo national army. The demonstrations involved citizens, political parties, associations of taximen and other civil society organisations.

Also, civil society organisations (CSO) in the town have launched “the campaign for national mobilisation against the aggression of Rwanda”. For these organisations, “Kagame has chosen to destabilise the DR Congo to loot its natural resources to develop his country”.

During their demonstration, one CSO, Les Boyomais, carried placards with hostile messages to President Kagame of Rwanda and called on President Tshisekedi to avoid all negotiations with Rwanda and the M23 rebels. Some demonstrators gave the Congolese government two days to furnish them with arms so they could defend their country.

Other CSOs and political parties including student associations, have scheduled demonstrations for today, Jan. 29, in the streets of Kisangani.

In a rather unfortunate development, the embassies of Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, France, the United States and Britain were attacked by angry demonstrators in Kinshasa.

The US embassy in Kinshasa advised citizens to “shelter in place and avoid movements”. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot condemned the “unacceptable” attack, saying a fire in the French embassy building was now under control.

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme said food assistance activities in and around Goma “have been temporarily paused” and expressed concern over food shortages.