Strong detonations began to sound after dark in the capital of the province of North Kivu, which houses a million inhabitants and almost as many displaced.
Intense shots of fire resonates Sunday evening in the center of Goma, a great city in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo besieged by Rwandan troops and the fighters of the M23 armed armed group, according to AFP journalists. Kinshasa accused Rwanda during the day of having him “Declared war” By sending new troops to support the M23 to Goma, while the UN called Kigali to remove its forces from the region. Rwanda replied in the evening by announcing to place itself in a “Sustainable defensive posture” in view of the evolution of the fighting on the other side of its border, which “Continue to present a serious threat to the security of Rwanda and its territorial integrity”according to his Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“A declaration of war”
Strong detonations began to sound after dark in the capital of the province of North Kivu, which houses a million inhabitants and almost as many displaced. The fights had moved Sunday at the gates of the city, almost surrounded by the M23 and 3,000 to 4,000 Rwandan soldiers present in the east of the DRC – according to the UN -, who have quickly gained ground in recent weeks after the 'Failure of a mediation Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)- Rwanda under the aegis of Angola. The UN Security Council met in an emergency on Sunday to discuss the situation.
“An attack of incredible gravity takes place before the eyes of the world”said Congolese Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner. “New Rwandan troops have crossed” the border and penetrated in the DRC “in broad daylight”she said, denouncing “A frontal aggression, a declaration of war which no longer hides behind diplomatic artifices”. She then claimed from the Security Council “Targeted sanctions” against Rwandan military and political leaders and a “Total embargo on exports of all minerals labeled as Rwandan, in particular the Coltan and Gold”.
A few hours earlier, UN secretary general Antonio Guterres, who had not so clearly questioned Kigali so far, said he was “Deeply concerned about the escalation of violence” and called “The Rwandan Defense forces to stop supporting the M23 and to withdraw from the territory of the DRC”. The United States “Condemn” the Rwanda and M23 offensive and will use “All tools” Available against those who feed the conflict, their representative said on Sunday.
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A Rwandan drone opened fire on Congolese positions about 6 kilometers from Goma on Sunday, security and UN sources told AFP. According to several sources within the mission of the UN in the DRC (Monusco), “At least two paramilitaries” were seriously injured by these shots. Other bombings have affected the Rusayo displaced camp, in the outskirts of Goma, according to several humanitarian sources that have not given a balance sheet. During the day, in Goma, cars and motorcycles circulated but most of the shops closed. Pillages by pro-Kinshasa militiamen have been reported in peripheral districts, according to civil society officials. As battles are approaching new columns of displaced flocks.
Westerners called upon to leave the city
Saturday evening, the Congolese army spokesman accused Rwanda of being “Determined to seize the city of Goma”. The city had been briefly occupied at the end of 2012 by the M23 (“Movement of March 23”), born that year and defeated militarily the following year. Thirteen South African soldiers, Malawites and Uruguayan, deployed in two regional (Samidrc) and UN (Monusco) forces for support to the Congolese army have been killed in fighting with the M23 in recent days, announced on Saturday the authorities of the three countries.
Rwanda said it had Sunday “evacuated” Friday his latest diplomat in Kinshasa. The DRC had announced on Saturday recalling its diplomats in Kigali “With immediate effect”. The European Union called the M23 to “Stop progress” and Rwanda at “Rely immediately” in a declaration signed by the 27 member countries. The African Union (AU) has claimed “Strict observation of the ceasefire agreed between the parties”. In the east of the DRC, rich in natural resources, conflicts have been linked for more than thirty years. Half a dozen ceasefies and Trier have already been decreed and then broken in the region. The last cease-fire was signed at the end of July.
The conflict, which has lasted for more than three years, has further aggravated a chronic humanitarian crisis in the region. According to the UN, 400,000 people have been moved by fighting since early January. The United Nations began to evacuate some of their Goma staff. The United States, France, the United Kingdom and Germany have called on their nationals to leave the city as long as the airport and the borders are open.
