Rwanda-backed M23 strengthens its control over DRC’s Goma

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have tightened their grip on Goma, the biggest city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), signalling a major blow to the Congolese army and a serious escalation in a years-long conflict that has seen hundreds of people killed and millions displaced.

March 23 Movement (M23) fighters entered Goma on Sunday and claimed to have taken control of the city a day later. Three days of clashes between Congolese armed forces and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have killed more than 100 people and wounded nearly 1,000 people in Goma.