Democratic Republic of Congo’s health ministry said Monday that as of January 30, 773 bodies were in hospital morgues in and around Goma after an offensive by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. The escalating conflict has also left 2,880 people wounded, with overflowing morgues and bodies still lying in the streets.
Tutsi-led rebels, known as M23, took over the largest city in eastern Congo, Goma-the capital of North Kivu province-on Tuesday. The area is known to have gold, coltan, and tin ore deposits. On their way towards Bukavu in South Kivu, they were turned back by strong Congolese forces supported by Burundi.
The newest in a long line of militant groups backed by Rwanda, M23, has been active in the eastern borderlands of Congo since the aftermath of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide. Their latest offensive has made a perilous humanitarian situation much worse, displacing hundreds of thousands who had fled earlier fighting. Many more have sought refuge in Goma this month as fighting intensified.
Aid agencies were severely stretched during the heavy fighting, as hospitals were overwhelmed, supplies were looted, and staff caught in the crossfire. Medecins Sans Frontieres said that medicine was running low. The World Food Programme suspended its operations and evacuated its staff. The Congolese health ministry said that the shortages of medical supplies, ambulances, and body bags were severe, and security concerns restricted access to some areas.
Daily life gradually resumed with caution in Goma as the fighting subsided. Power and water services partially resumed, markets reopened, and displaced residents returned to their places.
Meanwhile, the Congolese forces say they have reclaimed several villages as M23 recedes its advance in South Kivu. International pressure grows on Rwanda to stop supporting M23, but Kigali and Kinshasa continue exchanging accusations amid growing calls for a ceasefire.
