- The Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 is battling Congolese government forces in Congo’s key city of Goma, causing the international airport there to be evacuated.
- M23 is one of about 100 armed groups fighting for control in the mineral-rich region, where a long-running conflict has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.
- U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called on M23 to immediately halt all hostile action and withdraw its forces, U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said.
The international airport in Goma was evacuated and commercial flights temporarily grounded on Sunday as fighting between Rwanda-backed rebels and government forces raged around eastern Congo’s key city, leaving at least 13 peacekeepers and foreign soldiers dead and displacing thousands of civilians.
The M23 rebel group has made significant territorial gains along the border with Rwanda in recent weeks, closing in on Goma, the provincial capital that has a population of around 2 million and is a regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts.
Goma’s international airport, which is east of the city, was evacuated by the military and commercial flights were temporarily grounded due to the fighting, an airport agent told The Associated Press. The agent spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak on the matter publicly.
Congo’s army said Saturday it fended off an M23 offensive with the help of allied forces, including U.N. troops and soldiers from the Southern African Development Community Mission, also known as SAMIDRC.
In addition to the two South African peacekeepers, seven South African troops with SAMIDIRC have been killed in recent days, South Africa’s Ministry of Defense said.
Since 2021, Congo’s government and allied forces, including SAMIDRC and U.N. troops, have been keeping M23 away from Goma. The U.N. peacekeeping force entered Congo more than two decades ago and has around 14,000 peacekeepers on the ground.
The post 13 UN peacekeepers, allied soldiers dead in Congo as M23 rebels make gains in key city appeared first on Fox News.
