At least 773 bodies were recorded on hospital morgues inside and around the city of Goma on January 30, after an offensive from the M23 armed group, supported by Rwanda, according to the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday (1st ).
Necroterium capacity has been exceeded and there are even more bodies on the streets due to the ministry.
The folder reported that 2,880 injured were recorded between January 26 and 30.
The largest city in East of RD Congo and the capital of the province of Kivu do Norte, which houses profitable gold, Coltan and Tin.
But they seemed to be arrested on Friday (31) by Congolese troops supported by the Burundi army.
Well -trained and professionally armed, the M23 is the latest of a long line of rebel movements supported by to be in the oriental border borders D rd Congo after two successive wars resulting from Rwanda genocide in 1994.
The latest climbing has aggravated a longstanding humanitarian crisis that led thousands of people to seek gum shelter after fleeing the combat between the M23 and the lese troops from RD Congo.
Thousands of people arrived in town this month as the rebels advanced.
Humanitarian organizations had difficulty operating during the days of intense fighting around gum capture, supporting overloaded hospitals and providing help from widespread withdrawals of their warehouses and cross fire that also affected their own team.
The organization without borders said on Friday (31) that it had only a small stock of medicines and stopped helping people in displaced fields. The world food program said it had removed employees and suspended activities.
There was a shortage of medical supplies, ambulances and mortuary bags, said the RD Congo Ministry of Health, with safety concerns still limiting access to parts of the city.
Displaices return home
Daily life resumed in gum on Saturday (1st), after intense combat that led to human rights violations, including summary executions, bombing of travel fields, reports of group violations and other forms of sexual violence, according to
Energy and water, which were cut for days, were partially restored, while residents were informed that classes would be resumed and that displaced people would be allowed to return home.
The markets reopened, although the food remained scarce, with many empty stalls. One customer said the mobile internet was still inactive.
Three humanitarian sources stated that people were leaving the fields of displacement. Corneille Nangaa, head of the political coalition that supports M23, Alliance Fleuve Congo, said people were leaving because the roads had reopened, and that their goal was to facilitate their return home “as soon as the conditions allowed.”
“Let’s ask for support from all these NGOs (for that), but the challenge is to do everything, move from humanitarian aid to development,” said Nangaa on Friday (31).
The rebel advance is stopped
They seemed to have ceased on Saturday (1st) after the army reacted.
Local civil society leader Justin Mulindababo said the Congo army had resumed the villages of Mukwija, Shanje, Numbi and Nyamasasa and other locations in Kalehe’s territory, halfway between Goma and Bukavu.
Mulindababo, who lives in Kavumu, a 35 km city north of Bukavu, said residents were resuming everyday life.
Another source of civil society said there were no fighting in Kalehe on Saturday morning. A local authority said the army had strengthened its position in Kalehe and resumed several villages, including Mukwija, although the fighting continued elsewhere.
The RD Army Congo did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday.
Burundi, who borders Rwanda and RD Congo, has reinforced RD Congo security forces in Kivu do Sul and elsewhere.
On Friday (31), the president of Burundi, Evariste ndayishimye, warned that he would retaliate any rawlands invasion in his country and “generalization” of the conflict.
Rwanda Foreign Minister, Olivier Nnduhungirehe, said on Saturday (1) that it was Burundi who was trying to overthrow his government in Kigali.
The latest climbing of the conflict generated international criticism of the Rwanda and repeated calls for a ceasefire.
Rwanda has long denied the M23 and says he’s been defending himself. Congo denies the allegations and accuses Rwanda of using the M23 to loot valuable minerals.
What is the M23?
The name M23 refers to the March 23, 2009 agreement, which ended an earlier revolt led by Tutsis in eastern RD Congo.
It is the latest group of rebels led by ethnic Tutsis supported by Rwanda, which have caused a riot in RD Congo since the aftermath of Genocide in Rwanda thirty years ago, when extremists Hutus killed Tutsis and Hutus moderate and then were overthrown by the forces led by Tutsis who still dominate Rwanda.
The M23 accuses the RD government Congo not to comply with the peace agreement and fully integrate the Congolese Tutsis with the Army and the Government.
It promises to defend the Tutsis interests, particularly against Hutus ethnic militias, such as the democratic forces for Rwanda’s liberation (FDLR), founded by Hutus who fled Rwanda after participating in the 1994 genocide of nearly 1 million tutsis and moderate Hutus and Hutus.
