M23 rebels have seized control of the airport in Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, cutting off a critical supply route for humanitarian aid as the conflict escalates. The rebel advance has left bodies in the streets and forced thousands to flee.
The United Nations confirmed the rebels’ presence at the airport, calling the situation “tense and fluid.” UN peacekeepers and personnel have been forced to shelter at their bases, spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said.
In Kinshasa, the Congolese capital, protesters attacked embassies, including those of Rwanda, France, and the United States, accusing foreign nations of interference. Looters also ransacked Kenya’s embassy. The US State Department ordered non-essential staff to leave the country, sources said.
Gunfire and explosions were reported across Goma, where UN sources say dozens of troops surrendered while others continue to resist. Thousands of civilians, many already displaced by prior fighting, are fleeing toward Rwanda.
The capture of the airport effectively cuts off supplies for UN agencies, humanitarian groups, and the Congolese military. Christoph Vogel, a Congo researcher, warned that Goma is now isolated, with no viable road or boat access.
UN humanitarian officials reported bodies in the streets, rapes, looting, and attacks on hospitals. At least 760 people have been treated for injuries, though the true death toll remains unclear. A medicine warehouse was ransacked, and concerns were raised about a laboratory storing dangerous pathogens, including Ebola.
The M23 insurgency is the latest in a series of ethnic Tutsi-led, Rwandan-backed conflicts in Congo since the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Rwanda argues that exiled Hutu militias in Congo threaten its security, while Congo accuses Rwanda of exploiting rebel groups to plunder mineral resources like coltan, a key component in smartphones.
The UN fears the crisis could escalate into a regional war, similar to conflicts in 1996-1997 and 1998-2003, which killed millions, mostly due to hunger and disease.
UN peacekeepers have been caught in the crossfire. South Africa reported that three of its soldiers were killed, with a fourth succumbing to earlier injuries—bringing its total losses in the past week to 13.
