Tens of thousands of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo are fleeing to cities in the east of the country, while rebel forces are holed up in the city of Goma.
Explosions and gunshots were heard in the city – home to more than a million people – late Sunday night, according to local media reports.
A spokesman for the Rebel Group told the Reuters news agency that its forces would take control of Goma at 0300 local time (0100 GMT).
This comes a few hours after the Minister of Foreign Affairs dr. Congo has accused Rwanda of declaring war by sending its troops across the border to support the M23 rebels. Rwanda says it has adopted a defensive posture.
M23 rebels have called on Congolese troops in Goma to surrender to avoid bloodshed.
The group took control of huge parts of eastern dr. Congo rich in minerals from 2021. In the past few weeks, the group has made rapid progress in Goma amid intense fighting.
Since the beginning of 2025, more than 400,000 people have been displaced in North and South Kivu, provinces near the border with Rwanda, according to the UN refugee agency.
One displaced woman, Alice Feza, said she was at a loss for what to do next, having fled Kiwanjo, Rutshuru, Kibumba and now, Goma.
“People are fleeing everywhere, and we don’t know where to go anymore, because we started fleeing a long time ago,” said Mrs. Feza, adding: “The war caught us here among the host families, now we have nowhere to go.”
UN Secretary General António Guterres called on Rwanda to withdraw its forces from the territory of Dr. Congo and the M23 rebel group to stop their advance on Goma.
In a statement through his spokesman, Guterres called on Rwanda to “stop supporting M23 and withdraw from the territory of the DRC”. He also called on M23 to “immediately stop all hostile actions and withdraw from the occupied territories.”
This comes after 13 soldiers serving with peacekeepers were killed in clashes with the rebels.
Great Britain called for an end to attacks on peacekeepers, while the French representative to the UN, Nicolas de Rivière, repeated Guterres’ call for Rwanda to withdraw its troops from Dr. Congo.
And dr. Congo and the UN say the M23 group is supported by Rwanda.
Rwanda has not denied this, but the country’s leaders blame DR Congo for the current conflict.
Speaking at the Security Council meeting, Rwanda’s UN representative to the UN, Ernest Rwamucyo, said he regretted that the international community had decided to condemn the M23 group, rather than the Congolese army, which he said violated the ceasefire.
On Saturday, the UN said it would withdraw all its non-essential personnel from Gom. Basic operations are underway in DR Congo.
