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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Residents flee from Kibati, where fighting has intensified, towards the city of Goma, Jan. 26, 2025. The M23 armed group has seized further territory in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo and was continuing to tighten its grip on provincial capital Goma, which is almost surrounded by fighting.
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A U.N. armored personnel carrier burns during clashes with M23 rebels outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jan. 25, 2025.
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U.N. armored personnel carriers deploy outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jan. 25, 2025.
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Soldiers of the Armed forces of the Democratic republic of Congo (FARDC) advance towards Sake, 25km north west of Goma, Jan. 23, 2025. The Congolese army is fighting to halt the advance of the M23 towards Goma, a city in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
