Rebels have claimed control of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, although the government denies these assertions. Videos shared by residents show M23 rebels patrolling Goma’s main streets after a rapid advance against the Congolese army on Sunday, which led to tens of thousands fleeing surrounding towns.
Following hours of gunfire and explosions, the streets of Goma, home to over a million people, are now quiet, as reported by local media. This follows accusations from DR Congo’s foreign minister, who stated that neighboring Rwanda had effectively declared war by sending its troops to support the M23 rebels.
While Rwanda acknowledges backing the M23, it accuses the Congolese government of aiding militias attempting to overthrow the Kigali government. Kenya has called for a ceasefire and announced that the DR Congo and Rwanda presidents will attend an emergency regional summit within the next two days.
Kenyan President William Ruto, currently chair of the East African Community, emphasized that regional leaders must work together to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Since 2021, the M23 group has seized control of significant parts of mineral-rich eastern DR Congo. In recent weeks, the group has been advancing swiftly on Goma amid intense fighting.
The UN’s refugee agency reports that more than 400,000 people have been displaced since the beginning of 2025 in North and South Kivu provinces, near the Rwanda border. One woman, Alice Feza, who has fled multiple towns including Kiwanja, Rutshuru, Kibumba, and now Goma, expressed uncertainty about her next move. “People are fleeing everywhere, and we don’t know where to go any more, because we started fleeing a long time ago,” Ms. Feza said. “The war catches us here among the host families, now we have nowhere to go.”
Key roads surrounding Goma are blocked, and the city’s airport is no longer available for evacuations or humanitarian efforts, according to the UN. The government has stated that its forces continue to control strategic parts of the city, including the airport. In an official statement early Monday, the government rejected claims circulating on social media, insisting that the FARDC (the DR Congo army) holds “the Goma airport… and all the strategic points of the capital of the North Kivu Province.” They further emphasized their determination to defend the country “at the cost of the supreme sacrifice.”
A local resident told Reuters that while soldiers were visible near the airport, they had not seen any M23 fighters. Reports also mentioned looting in some areas. Journalist Akilimali Selah Chomachoma, speaking to the BBC, confirmed that gunfire continued and described the situation as “complicated.”
Reverend Damiri, a chaplain at the HEAL Africa hospital in Goma, described the situation as calm in his immediate area, though he could hear gunshots from other parts of the city. “Goma is a large city… We still have quite a number of soldiers that have gathered together, governmental soldiers, but a big part of the city is controlled by the rebels,” he said.
Heavy artillery has been reported hitting the city center, and there are unverified videos showing a jailbreak at a local prison, where 3,000 inmates were held. A security source confirmed that the prison was “totally torched,” with fatalities resulting from the escape. Power and water have been cut off in many areas of the city.
The rebels had set a 48-hour deadline for soldiers to surrender their weapons, which passed early Monday. Some Congolese soldiers reportedly handed over their firearms to UN peacekeepers before the deadline. The UN’s Secretary-General, António Guterres, called on Rwanda to withdraw its forces from DR Congo and urged the M23 to cease its advance. “Rwanda must cease support to the M23 and withdraw from DRC territory,” Guterres said, also calling on the M23 to “immediately cease all hostile actions and withdraw from occupied areas.”
The UK has demanded an end to attacks on peacekeepers, while France’s UN representative, Nicolas de Rivière, reiterated Guterres’ call for Rwanda to withdraw its troops. Both DR Congo and the UN have accused Rwanda of backing the M23, though Rwanda has denied this, instead blaming DR Congo for the ongoing conflict.
Rwanda’s UN representative, Ernest Rwamucyo, expressed regret that the international community had condemned the M23 while not holding the Congolese army accountable for violating a ceasefire. On Saturday, the UN announced that it would withdraw all non-essential staff from Goma.
The M23 was formed as an offshoot of another rebel group in 2012, originally to protect the Tutsi population in eastern DR Congo, which had long faced persecution. Rwanda has claimed that the Congolese government works with individuals responsible for the 1994 Rwandan genocide, who fled into DR Congo. Critics of Rwanda, however, accuse the country of using the M23 to exploit the region’s rich mineral resources, including gold, cobalt, and tantalum.
