DRCongo army steps up patrols in government stronghold of Goma as Rwanda-backed rebels encircle city

Подробнее о видео

(24 Jan 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Goma, DR Congo – 24 January 2025
++NIGHT SHOTS++
1. Various of Democratic Republic of the Congo army troops checking vehicles
2. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Patrick Salumana, taxi driver:
"It's reassuring to see soldiers checking vehicles and doing checks. Last night, like this time, there was widespread panic, but today it's like a blessing to see soldiers checking.”
3. Wide of soldiers letting vehicle pass
4. Various of soldiers checking vehicles
5. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Fabrice Lukonge, Goma resident:
"The worry we have now is that we are in a period of war, we are afraid that the enemy will come and invade the city after the death of the governor, because he was considered the father of the province, who died suddenly like that, we are very afraid."
6. Military vehicle driving
7. Wide of soldiers letting vehicle pass
8. Soldier checking vehicle
9. SOUNDBITE (Swahili) Amani Safari, Goma resident:
“It's a shame to hear about the death of the governor while we're in the middle of a war, it hurts us so much. It frightens us as the people of Goma because we had hoped that the war would end, but to see the governor die on the battlefield hurts us so much."
10. Soldier directing traffic
STORYLINE:
Military personnel in the Democratic Republic of the Congo stepped up patrols in the government stronghold of Goma on Friday, as Rwanda-backed rebels encircled the city.

Residents described the spread of panic as M23 rebels took control of Sake, a town only 27 kilometres (16 miles) from the provincial capital, a day earlier.

Soldiers could be seen checking the identity of passengers and the contents of vehicles.

Patrick Salumana, a local taxi driver, said that to see the soldiers was "reassuring".

"Last night, like this time, there was widespread panic, but today it's like a blessing to see soldiers checking,” he said.

M23 has made significant territorial gains in recent weeks, encircling Goma, which has around 2 million people and is a regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts.

The evening patrols came just hours after a military spokesman confirmed the governor of eastern Congo’s North Kivu province had died from injuries sustained during fighting on the front line.

The circumstances around the death of Maj. Gen Peter Cirimwami were unclear.

He was hit during a battle on the front line on Thursday and died of his wounds on Friday.

The news caused an outpouring of concern and grief among the people of Goma.

"To see the governor die on the battlefield hurts us so much," said local resident, Amani Safari.

M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo, along the border with Rwanda, in a decades-long conflict that has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

More than 7 million people have been displaced by the fighting. Earlier this month, M23 captured the towns of Minova, Katale and Masisi, west of Goma.

M23 seized Goma in 2012 and controlled it for over a week.

Congo, the United States and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing M23, which is mainly composed of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army over a decade ago.

Rwanda’s government denies the claim but last year admitted that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a build-up of Congolese forces near the border.

U.N. experts estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.

===========================================================


Find out more about AP Archive:
Twitter:
Facebook: ​​
Instagram:


You can license this story through AP Archive: