UN warns of regional war: “Devastating”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is calling on the M23 rebel group to immediately halt its offensive in Congo-Kinshasa and withdraw from areas it occupies.
“The renewed offensive launched by M23 in Congo-Kinshasa is devastating for civilians and increases the risk of a wider regional war,” he wrote in a statement.
M23 and the rebel alliance AFC say they plan to take the city of Goma, the capital of Kivu province, with a population of one million. The country’s President Felix Tshisekedi flew home from the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday because of the fighting.
Both the UN and the US accuse Rwanda, the neighboring country to the east, of supporting the M23 rebels in Congo-Kinshasa. Rwandan President Paul Kagame denies the accusations.
The M23 rebel group plans to take over the city of Goma
There is violent fighting in the eastern parts of Congo-Kinshasa, Reuters reports. Fighting between rebels and government forces has intensified since the turn of the year, largely because the M23 rebel group has taken control of more territory than ever before.
General Peter Cirimwami Nkuba, who has been the leader of Kivu province since 2023, died on Thursday after being shot by M23 rebels on the front line.
On Friday, the rebel alliance AFC, which includes M23, said that they plan to take over the province's capital of Goma in the eastern parts of the country.
The rebels are said to be just over 20 kilometers outside Goma and the government says in a statement that the country's army will protect the city.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is calling on the M23 rebel group to immediately halt its offensive in Congo-Kinshasa and withdraw from areas it occupies.
“The renewed offensive launched by M23 in Congo-Kinshasa is devastating for civilians and increases the risk of a wider regional war,” he wrote in a statement.
M23 and the rebel alliance AFC say they plan to take the city of Goma, the capital of Kivu province, with a population of one million. The country’s President Felix Tshisekedi flew home from the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday because of the fighting.
Both the UN and the US accuse Rwanda, the neighboring country to the east, of supporting the M23 rebels in Congo-Kinshasa. Rwandan President Paul Kagame denies the accusations.
The M23 rebel group plans to take over the city of Goma
There is violent fighting in the eastern parts of Congo-Kinshasa, Reuters reports. Fighting between rebels and government forces has intensified since the turn of the year, largely because the M23 rebel group has taken control of more territory than ever before.
General Peter Cirimwami Nkuba, who has been the leader of Kivu province since 2023, died on Thursday after being shot by M23 rebels on the front line.
On Friday, the rebel alliance AFC, which includes M23, said that they plan to take over the province's capital of Goma in the eastern parts of the country.
The rebels are said to be just over 20 kilometers outside Goma and the government says in a statement that the country's army will protect the city.
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