UN describes 'mass panic' in Goma as Rwanda-backed rebels claim control of key Congo city

Rwanda-backed rebels claimed they captured eastern Congo's largest city, Goma, early Monday, as the United Nations described a "mass panic" among its two million people and Congo's government said the rebel advance was a "declaration of war."

The M23 rebels announced the city's capture in a statement minutes before a 48-hour deadline imposed by the group for the Congolese army to surrender their weapons expired. Early Monday morning, gunfire was heard throughout the city, according to two aid workers sheltering there who were not authorized to speak to the media.

In a statement, the rebels urged residents of Goma to remain calm and for members of the Congolese military to assemble at the central stadium.

The M23 rebels' offensive in the heart of the mineral-rich region threatens to dramatically worsen one of Africa's longest wars and further displace civilians. According to a UN report, over a third of the population of North Kivu province where Goma is located are currently displaced, and the capture of Goma will likely exacerbate the situation.

Late Sunday night, UN peacekeepers began to process members of the military who had begun to surrender on the outskirts of the city.

'In a war situation'

Late Sunday, the UN's special representative for Congo told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that with the airport shut down and roads blocked in the vast region's humanitarian and security hub, "we are trapped."

Congolese government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya made a statement in a video posted on X calling for the protection of civilians and saying that the country is "in a war situation where the news is changing."

The UN's special representative for Congo told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that with the airport shut down and roads blocked in the vast region's humanitarian and security hub, "we are trapped."

Scores of children and adults fled the Kanyaruchinya camp, one of the largest in eastern Congo for displaced people, near the Rwandan border.

"We are fleeing because we saw soldiers on the border with Rwanda throwing bombs and shooting," said Safi Shangwe, who was heading into the city. Some of the displaced worried they would not be safe in Goma, either. "I heard that there are bombs in Goma, too, so now we don't know where to go," said Adèle Shimiye.

Hundreds of people attempted to flee to Rwanda. Migration officers at a border crossing east of Goma carefully checked travel documents.

UN peacekeepers killed

Congo late Saturday broke off relations with Rwanda, which has denied backing the M23 despite evidence collected by UN experts and others. The surge of violence has killed at least 13 peacekeepers over the past week, including two from South Africa and one from Uruguay in the past 48 hours. Eleven others were injured and hospitalized, UN Secretary General António Guterres's spokesperson said ahead of the Security Council meeting.

The UN Security Council condemned the M23 advances in a statement late Sunday and urged the rebels to withdraw from the territory they'd claimed.

The M23 —  which took Goma in 2012 before withdrawing amid international pressure — has made significant territorial gains along Congo's border with Rwanda in recent weeks, after months of regional attempts to make peace failed. On Sunday night, the rebels called on Congo's army to surrender their arms and present themselves at a local stadium by 3 a.m. local time or they would take the city.

The Uruguayan army, who are in Goma serving with the UN peacekeeping mission, said in a statement on X late Sunday that some Congolese soldiers have laid down their weapons.

"More than a hundred FARDC soldiers are sheltered in the facilities of the "Siempre Presente" base awaiting the (Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration) process," the statement said.

In photos shared with the statement, armed men are seen registering with the peacekeepers in a mix of military uniforms and civilian clothing.

The UN special representative, Bintou Keita, told the Security Council that despite UN peacekeepers' support for the Congolese armed forces, M23 and Rwandan forces entered the Munigi neighbourhood on Goma's outskirts, "causing mass panic." Munigi is nine kilometres from the city.

Keita said M23 fighters were advancing and using residents "as human shields" as others fled for their lives.

"M23 has declared the airspace over Goma closed," she added. "In other words, we are trapped." She said the UN was temporarily relocating nonessential personnel from the city.

U.S., France caution Rwanda

Congo's Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner told the Security Council that Rwanda was committing "a frontal aggression, a declaration of war which no longer hides itself behind diplomatic manoeuvres."

Rwanda's ambassador to the UN, Ernest Rwamucyo, did not confirm or deny Congo's claims. He blamed Congo's government, saying the crisis could have been been averted if it had "demonstrated a genuine commitment to peace."

The United States and France called for a ceasefire and appealed to Rwanda to withdraw its support to M23, with acting U.S. ambassador Dorothy Shea warning that the U.S. would "consider all the tools at its disposal" to hold accountable those responsible for sustaining the armed conflict.

The UN chief reiterated his "strongest condemnation" of the M23 offensive "with the support of the Rwanda Defence Forces," and called on the rebel group to immediately halt all hostile action and withdraw, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

Congo, the United States and UN experts accuse Rwanda of backing M23, which is mainly made up of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army more than a decade ago. It's one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich region, where a long-running conflict has created one of the world's largest humanitarian crises.

Rwanda's government denies backing the rebels, but last year acknowledged that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a buildup of Congolese forces near the border. UN experts estimate up to 4,000 Rwandan forces are in Congo.