Rwanda-backed rebels claimed they captured eastern Congo’s strategic city of Goma, the hub of a region containing trillions of dollars in mineral wealth that remains largely untapped, the Associated Press reported. The offensive has sent thousands fleeing their homes, in addition to 1 million displaced who are already in Goma, and stretched hospitals to the limit, with hundreds of wounded coming in every day as civilians get caught in the crossfire.
In photos: Conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo
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Members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), who surrendered from Goma, gather at the Vision Jeunesse Nouvelle Cultural Centre in Gisenyi, Rwanda, Jan. 28, 2025.
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A member of the M23 armed group walks alongside residents through a street of the Keshero neighborhood in Goma, on Jan. 27, 2025.
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Residents run off after observing members of the M23 armed group walking through a street of the Keshero neighborhood in Goma, Jan. 27, 2025. The besieged city of Goma was rocked by heavy artillery fire as France warned the regional capital was on the brink of falling to militia fighters and Rwandan troops. The M23 armed group and Rwandan soldiers entered Goma's centre on the night of Jan. 26, 2025 after weeks of advancing on the main city in the mineral-rich North Kivu province.
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People displaced by the fighting with M23 rebels make their way to the center of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jan. 26, 2025.
