After a week of intense fighting, rebels supported by Rwanda have gained near-total control of Goma, a city with a population of two million in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Hospitals are overwhelmed with casualties, and the city morgue is filled with the deceased. Residents of Goma are beginning to emerge from hiding, urgently seeking food and water, while the Congolese military, which was expected to safeguard them, has been defeated.
On Thursday, outside Goma’s largest stadium, members of the Rwanda-backed M23 militia loaded over 1,000 captured soldiers into trucks. Many of these soldiers, still in their uniforms, expressed anger, not towards their captors, but towards Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, whom they accused of abandoning them, along with military commanders who fled the city as M23 approached.
Videos and photographs captured the moment when commanders and government officials abandoned their troops, escaping across a lake while leaving their men to fend for themselves. Despite their efforts, no reinforcements were sent to support the soldiers, many of whom had allied with local armed groups known as the Wazalendo.
Amidst the chaos, a soldier proclaimed, “Tshisekedi will pay for this,” while another vowed to capture him. Lt. Col. John Asegi, a commander of the Congolese Army, explained their surrender, stating they would follow the orders of their new captors, the M23 rebels.
The M23 rebels, who already control significant areas of mineral-rich Congo, have announced intentions to advance towards the capital, Kinshasa, nearly a thousand miles away.
In a significant development, the rebels have transferred hundreds of captured Romanian mercenaries back to Rwanda, who had been fighting alongside Congolese forces.
As civilians gathered around the trucks, many were visibly distressed, with women and children crying upon recognizing their loved ones among the captured soldiers. One woman, Marie Sifa, expressed her despair over losing everything in the recent attacks and her uncertainty about how to care for her children.
Later that day, rebel leader Corneille Nangaa addressed Goma’s citizens, urging them to return to normal activities, despite the ongoing turmoil characterized by dead bodies in the streets, looted stores, and a cholera outbreak. Medical facilities are struggling to cope with the influx of wounded individuals, facing shortages of medicine and staff.
Many families remain separated, with individuals like Elysée Mopanda searching for their lost children amidst the chaos. The situation is particularly dire for Goma’s displaced population, which numbers in the hundreds of thousands, many of whom have sought refuge in overcrowded and unsanitary camps.
As M23 advanced, thousands fled these camps, carrying what little they could. Three families who escaped to an educational center survived on meager rations, expressing gratitude for the assistance they received.
Access to water has become a critical issue, as the city’s water supply, along with power and internet services, was disrupted during the conflict. Those who managed to secure water face exorbitant prices, while others resort to begging or paying significantly more than usual for basic supplies.
As the fighting subsided, residents have begun to collect water from Lake Kivu, with some attempting to treat it to prevent waterborne diseases. A 13-year-old boy, Tailor Mukendi, shared his experience of fetching water amidst the violence, highlighting the desperation faced by many families in Goma.