United Nations — There was gunfire Tuesday in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Goma, as the United Nations warned of a worrying humanitarian situation amid clashes between Congolese soldiers and Rwandan-backed rebels who attacked the area and claimed to be in control.
U.N. humanitarian office spokesperson Jens Laerke told a briefing Tuesday that hospitals in Goma were overwhelmed.
The World Food Program said it temporarily paused food assistance activities in the Goma area.
Crisis talks were planned for Wednesday, Kenyan President William Ruto said, with Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame set to attend.
Armed men drive through a street in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Jan. 28, 2025. Gunshots rang out through parts of the besieged city of Goma as Congolese soldiers clashed with militia fighters backed by Rwandan troops.
Congolese refugees fleeing ongoing clashes in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo arrive at the Rugerero transit camp in Gisenyi, Rwanda, Jan. 28, 2025. An estimated 1,200 Congolese refugees have been officially received by Rwanda, an official told AFP as armed forces entered the city of Goma just across the border.
People attack the Rwanda Embassy in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jan. 28, 2025, in protest over the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels' advances into the eastern capital Goma.
Protesters clash with riot police forces in front of the French Embassy in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Jan. 28, 2025.
People protest in Kinshasa, Jan. 28, 2025, against the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels' advances into eastern Congo's capital Goma.
Residents look at the bodies of Congolese soldiers killed in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Jan. 28, 2025. Intense fighting has left bodies in the streets and overwhelmed hospitals in the besieged city of Goma, the United Nations said, as protesters furious about international inaction attacked embassies in the country's capital.
People protest in Kinshasa, Jan. 28, 2025, against the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels' advances into eastern Congo's capital Goma.
United Nations truck drivers and Congolese civilians who fled from Goma, undergo security screening at the border-post in Gisenyi, Rubavu district, Rwanda, Jan. 28, 2025.
A Congolese woman carries her child fleeing from Goma, arrive at a reception center in Rugerero near Gisenyi, in Rubavu district, Rwanda, Jan. 28, 2025.
Congolese civilians who fled from Goma, arrive at a reception center in Rugerero near Gisenyi, in Rubavu district, Rwanda, Jan. 28, 2025.
Congolese civilians who fled from Goma, wash their feet after arriving at a reception center in Rugerero near Gisenyi, in Rubavu district, Rwanda, Jan. 28, 2025.
Congolese civilians who fled from Goma, gather at a reception center in Rugerero near Gisenyi, in Rubavu district, Rwanda, Jan. 28, 2025.
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.
A member of the M23 armed group walks alongside residents through a street of the Keshero neighborhood in Goma, on Jan. 27, 2025.
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.
People displaced by the fighting with M23 rebels make their way to the center of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jan. 26, 2025.
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.
A U.N. armored personnel carrier burns during clashes with M23 rebels outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jan. 25, 2025.
U.N. armored personnel carriers deploy outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jan. 25, 2025.
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. Photo Gallery: In photos: Conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo
Ruto said there is no military solution to the conflict.
The U.S. State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio “condemned the assault on Goma by the Rwanda-backed M23 and affirmed the United States’ respect for the sovereignty of the DRC,” in a phone call Monday with Tshisekedi.
Smoke rises over Goma, Congo, Jan. 27, 2025, as M23 rebels make their way to the center of the town.
A senior U.N. official in the Democratic Republic of Congo said Monday that fighting between the M23 rebels and the Congolese army in Goma is “not over yet,” despite the rebel claims of control.
“Fighting is still very much ongoing,” said Bruno Lemarquis, U.N. resident coordinator in the DRC. “It's a very, very fluid situation. It's a very dangerous situation.”
He told reporters via a video call from DRC’s capital, Kinshasha, that “active zones of combat have spread to all quarters” of Goma in North Kivu province. Lemarquis said there have been severe disruptions to water, electricity, internet and phone service. Humanitarian warehouses have been looted.
In early January, M23 rebels broke a ceasefire agreement, launching a large-scale offensive in the east with the support of the Rwandan army. The U.N. says the rebels have made significant territorial gains and are seeking to open a new front in neighboring South Kivu province.
U.N. armored personnel carriers deploy outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jan. 25, 2025.
The United Nations Security Council, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and senior U.N. officials are calling for the M23 to immediately cease hostilities and withdraw from occupied territories. They have called for the withdrawal of Rwandan forces and a return to the Luanda process of mediation overseen by Angolan President João Lourenço.
“On behalf of the humanitarian community, I call on all parties to agree on temporary humanitarian pauses in the most affected areas and establish humanitarian corridors to ensure humanitarian activities resume at scale. And more importantly, also to facilitate the safe evacuation of wounded individuals and civilians trapped in combat zones,” Lemarquis added.
The United Nations announced Sunday a $17 million disbursement from its central emergency fund for urgent humanitarian needs in DRC.
Lemarquis said nonessential U.N. staff, foreign and Congolese, are being temporarily evacuated from Goma to either Kinshasa or to a U.N. base in Entebbe in neighboring Uganda.
The U.N. peacekeeping mission, known by its acronym, MONUSCO, has also reinforced its positions to counter the rebels’ advance on Goma, deploying a quick reaction force, a rapid deployment battalion, a reserve battalion, a platoon of special forces and an artillery battery.
“At this critical juncture now, the onus really is and has to be about bringing about an immediate cessation of hostilities,” U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told reporters on the same video call, speaking from Damascus, Syria, where he is on a mission.
“The fate of the millions of civilians living in Goma or having been displaced is really the priority, along with the safety and security of U.N. personnel,” he said.
In the past few days, three U.N. peacekeepers have been killed and several injured in the conflict.
Before the latest round of violence, eastern DRC was already mired in one of the largest and most protracted humanitarian crises in the world, with nearly 6.5 million people displaced due to efforts by armed groups to seize control of the country’s valuable mineral deposits.
Some information for this story was provided by Agence France-Presse and Reuters.