(Bloomberg) -- Fighting between M23 rebels and Democratic Republic of Congo’s army intensified on Friday, with the militia threatening to take the trading hub of Goma and the United Nations warning of a regional war.
Most Read from Bloomberg
-
How Sanctuary Cities Are Preparing for Another Showdown With Trump
-
Billionaire Developer Caruso Slams LA Leadership Over Wildfires
-
Hoboken PATH Station Will Close for Almost a Month on Jan. 30
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi flew home from Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday to convene an emergency security council, his office said. The meeting came as M23 rebels took Sake, the last town on the road to Goma, according to the UN.
“We are advancing to liberate our compatriots in Goma and to restore security and dignity to the Congolese people,” M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka said in a statement on X Friday.
Congo and the US say M23 is backed by thousands of soldiers from neighboring Rwanda, an allegation Rwandan President Paul Kagame denies.
The rebels say they’re fighting to protect ethnic Tutsis and other speakers of the Rwandan language in Congo. The militia, which resumed its rebellion in 2021, has taken control of most of the main trade routes around Goma for minerals including tantalum ore and tin ore — used in electronics such as mobile phones — since the beginning of last year.
The M23 last took Goma in 2012, triggering widespread condemnation and sanctions by the international community.
“The secretary-general calls on the M23 to immediately cease its offensive, withdraw from all occupied areas,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said in a statement. “This offensive has a devastating toll on the civilian population and heightened the risk of a broader regional war.”
Refugees are streaming toward Goma, a city of about 2 million people, and concern is growing among inhabitants about the availability of food and other necessities.
“We have been walking for three days from Sake coming to Goma and my two children are sick and hungry. And now we hear M23 rebels are going to Goma,” said Justin Mutanava, a 47-year-old resident of Sake, which is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Goma. “We don’t know where we will go next.”
As many as 300,000 people have left Sake and a Goma hospital with only 147 beds reported 290 wounded patients on Friday, including 90 civilians, according to the UN.
“A large number of these new wounded are being treated for gunshot and heavy artillery wounds from active combat zones,” the UN said.