13 UN peacemakers and allied soldiers of the dead in Congo while the M23 rebels conquer a key city

• The M23 rebel group supported by Rwanda is fighting the Congenian government forces in the key city of Kong, a bunch, which is why the International Airport is evacuated there.
• The M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that fight for control in the region rich in minerals, where long -term conflict has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.
• UN Secretary General António Guterres urged M23 to immediately interrupt all enemy actions and withdraw his strength, said UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric.

The International Airport in Goma was evacuated, and commercial flights temporarily suspended on Sunday, while the struggles between the rebels supported by Rwanda and the Government forces raged around the key city of Eastern Congo, leaving at least 13 dead members of peacekeeping forces and foreign soldiers and displacing thousands of civilians.

The rebel group M23 has reached significant territorial gains along the border with Rwand in recent weeks, approaching the crowd, the capital of the province with about 2 million inhabitants and is a regional center of security and humanitarian efforts.

The International Airport in Gomi, located east of the city, was evacuated by the army, and commercial flights are temporarily grounded because of the fighting, said the Airport Agent for Associated Press. The agent spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly about it.

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United Nations On Sunday, he told his staff that he was not going to the airport and that he would take refuge in place, according to an internal email that AP had an insight into.

Congo, the United States and the UN experts accuse Rwanda of supporting the M23, which is mainly consisting of ethnic Tutsi that separated from the Congoan army more than ten years ago. It is one of about 100 armed groups competing for a foothold in the region rich in minerals, where long -term conflict created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

Rwanda’s government denies to support the rebels, but last year she admitted that she had troops and rocket systems in Eastern Congo to protect her safety, pointing to the accumulation of Congenian forces near the border. UN experts estimate that up to 4000 Rwande forces in Congo.

The Congo Foreign Ministry announced late on Saturday to interrupt diplomatic ties with Rwand and withdraws all the diplomatic staff from the country “with the current effect”.

Foreign Minister Rwanda Olivier Nduhungirehe told Sunday for AP that the decision to break the connections was a one -sided move “, which was even posted on social networks before being sent to our Embassy.”

“For us, we have taken appropriate measures for the evacuation of our remaining diplomat in Kinshasi, which was under constant threat to Congenian officials. And this was achieved on Friday, one day before the publication of this so -called verbal note on social networks,” he said. he said.

In the last 48 hours of two UN peacekeepers from South Africa One from Uruguay also died, and 11 peacekeepers were injured and hospitalized, spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Sunday ahead of the UN Council of the UN Security Council.

The UN chief reiterated his “sharpest condemnation of” M23 offensive “with the support of Rwanda’s defense forces” and called on the rebel group to immediately interrupt all enemy actions and withdraw his forces, said UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric.

On Sunday morning, a strong shooting echoed all over Gome, just a few miles from the first line. Dozens of displaced children and adults fled Kanyaruchiny’s camp, one of the largest in Eastern Congo, right along the border with Rwanda, and headed south to Gom.

“We run because we saw the soldiers on the border with Rwand throwing bombs and shooting,” said Safi Shangwe, who headed for the crowd.

“We are tired and afraid, our children are in danger of hunger,” she added.

Some of the displaced are worried that they will not be sure in the crowd either.

“Let’s go to Goma, but I heard that there are bombs in and now we don’t know where to go,” said Adèle Shimiye.

Hundreds of people tried escape in Rwanda Through the Great Barrier Border Crossing East of Gom on Sunday. Migration officers carefully checked the travel documents.

“I go to the other side to see if we will have a shelter because the current security in the city is not guaranteed,” said AP Muhadi Amani, a resident of Gome.

Earlier this week, the rebels occupied Sake, 26 miles from Goma, because the concern grew that the city could fall soon.

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The Congo’s army announced on Saturday that it had defended the M23 offensive with the help of an Allied forces, including the UN troops and troops from the South African Development Community mission, also known as Samidrc.

In addition to two South African peacekeepers, seven South African soldiers with Samidirc have been killed in recent days, the South African Ministry of Defense said.

Since 2021, the Government of Congo and Allied forces, including Samidrc and UN troops, hold M23 away from Goma. The UN Peace Forces entered Congo more than two decades ago and have about 14,000 peacekeepers on the ground.