‘Declaration of war’: M23 rebels claim seizing key DR Congo city of Goma

Witnesses say they saw rebels enter centre of eastern city of Goma amid gunfire, as UN calls for an end to offensive.

Gunfire rang out across parts of Goma, the largest city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), hours after Rwanda-backed M23 rebels said they had seized it despite the United Nations Security Council calling for an end to the offensive.

The armed group announced the city’s capture in a statement early on Monday, as the DRC government said their advance was a “declaration of war” by Rwanda and the UN said the capture has caused “mass panic” among Goma’s two million residents.

The M23 claim came minutes before a 48-hour deadline it had given to Congolese troops to surrender their weapons expired. Its fighters also urged Goma residents to remain calm and for members of the DRC military to assemble at the central stadium.

Two witnesses told the Reuters news agency rebels had entered the centre of Goma. One of them shared a brief video showing heavily armed men walking through the streets, the agency reported.

The advance by the M23 rebel alliance has forced thousands in DRC’s mineral-rich east from their homes and triggered fears that a decades-old simmering conflict risks reigniting a broader regional war.