Browsing: Goma

• M23 rebels reportedly at Kavumu, about 40km north of mineral-rich Bukavu area.
• UN experts claim the M23 rebels – one of over 100 militias seeking control in DRC’s east – is receiving support from about 4,000 soldiers from Rwanda.
• According to Kinshasa, Rwandan soldiers are pillaging valuable resources from the mineral-rich eastern zone of DRC.

As M23 rebels continue pushing deeper into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after capturing the mineral-rich city of Goma, the city of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, is on the verge of falling under their control.

Media reports show that M23 rebels are threatening to march to DRC capital Kinshasa as they push the government of Felix Tshisekedi on the negotiating table to meet their demands. “We will continue the march of liberation all the way to Kinshasa,” announced rebel leader Corneille Nangaa on Thursday, four days after the group confirmed the …

• Rwanda is fighting accusations of backing M23 rebel attacks in Goma, the most strategic city within the mineral-rich eastern DRC. 
• Already, the UN and other humanitarian agencies have pulled out non-essential personnel out of Goma.
• Early this week protestors in Kinshasa attacked US, Rwanda, Kenya, Belgian and French embassies, demanding decisive counter against M23 rebels.

The war in Goma has sucked in Rwanda with authorities in Kigali increasingly fighting an avalanche of accusations that the country’s military is invading the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in concert with the M23 rebels. According to reports from both local and international media, “The Rwandan army is lining up at the [DRC] border, ready to invade,” an anonymous source privy to official on the ground told media.

“Large numbers of troops from Rwanda have been pouring across the border into the Democratic Republic of the Congo to help rebels seize the regional capital …

• In Eastern DRC, dead bodies lie in the streets, hospitals are overwhelmed and there has been an uptick in reports of sexual violence, rape and looting.
• In Kinshasa, protesters have stormed and torched the embassies of USA, France, Belgium, Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya demanding push back against the advance of M23 rebels.
• UN says 300,000 people uprooted from camps around Goma in a matter of days.

Latest reports from Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from UN teams on the ground indicate a fast-deteriorating situation on Tuesday amid an ongoing assault by M23 rebels on the provincial capital. Dead bodies lie in the streets, hospitals are overwhelmed and there has been an uptick in reports of sexual violence, rape and looting.

“Roads are blocked, ports are closed and those crossing Lake Kivu risk their lives in makeshift boats,” said Shelley Thakral, spokesperson for the UN World Food …

• M23 rebels, backed by Rwanda, have seized Goma in eastern DRC, prompting accusations of a “declaration of war” from the Congolese government.
• The conflict has escalated tensions between DRC and Rwanda, with international calls for de-escalation and emergency summit planned in Nairobi to address the crisis.
• Thousands have been displaced, and the humanitarian toll continues to worsen in a region already plagued by decades of instability.

Gunfire echoed across Goma, the largest city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as M23 rebels claimed to have seized the city on Sunday. The announcement by the Rwanda-backed rebel group came despite the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) calls for an immediate halt to hostilities.

Goma, home to nearly two million residents, was thrust into chaos as reports emerged of exchanges of fire between DRC and Rwandan troops along the shared border on Monday.

In a statement on social media …

The trade mission, which brings together Kenyan and DRC investors and entrepreneurs, will be held in four of DRC’s biggest cities that is, Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Goma, and Mbuji Mayi.
SMEs will have an opportunity to explore opportunities in DRC through business forums and panel discussions moderated by experts in various fields, site visits to various businesses and locations of interest, networking sessions, and trade exhibitions that will allow businesses to showcase their products and services.
Speaking during the official opening ceremony, Bazaiba expressed delight in seeing two sovereign States from the East and Central Africa region championing the growth and integration of Africa through trade and investment.…