Panic is spreading in Goma in eastern Congo as M23 rebels encircle the city, battling Congo’s army. Many civilians have been wounded in the crossfire, stretching the main hospital.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that eastern Congo's M23 conflict risks spiralling into a broader regional war, his spokesperson said in a statement, condemning the rebels' capture of another strategic town,

Luggage on their backs, they trudged all Wednesday morning along the road leading to downtown Goma, fleeing the advancing fighters in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Panic spread in Goma on Thursday, with M23 rebels steadily inching closer to the city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as they battle the national army. (AP Video shot by Justin Kabumba)

A leading bishop in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) says the situation in the conflict-hit eastern part of the country is “catastrophic.”

Many Congolese see the rebel advance as an invasion of their country by a foreign power in an attempt to seize land and Congo’s valuable rare minerals.

The M23 rebel group’s had advanced quickly toward Goma, eastern Congo’s largest city, in recent weeks, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.

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

During his visit to Belgium in Sept 2024, Pope Francis announced the start of the beatification process for the man who ratified the Congo's independence.

Panic engulfed Goma as M23 rebels advanced steadily towards the city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, clashing with the national army on Thursday.

When a 25-year-old government worker was asked in 2007 to allow spoiled rice from Rwanda to be transported across the border to eastern Congo, he knew the risks of resisting corruption.