GOMA, Congo (AP) — Panic spread in eastern Congo's main city on Thursday, with M23 rebels steadily inching closer to Goma and seizing a nearby town as they battle the Congolese army. Bombs were heard going off in the city's distant outskirts and hundreds of wounded civilians were brought in to the main hospital from the area of the fighting.

In eastern Congo, panic grips Goma as M23 rebels advance, capturing nearby towns. Goma, a key regional hub, faces heightened conflict, displacing over 7 million. Accusations against Rwanda for backing M23 persist as international bodies urge restraint.

Panic spread in eastern Congo's main city on Thursday, with M23 rebels steadily inching closer to Goma and seizing a nearby town as they battle the Congolese army. Bombs were heard going off in the city's distant outskirts, and hundreds of wounded civilians were brought in to the main hospital from the area of the fighting.

Guterres condemned the renewed offensive launched by the M23 at the beginning of the year and its expansion into the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, including the recent seizure of Sake, which increased the threat to Goma, North Kivu's capital and an important and populated city, read a statement by his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric.

The UN chief on Thursday expressed alarm over a renewed offensive by M23 rebels in recent days in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which is taking a "devastating toll" on civilians.

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.

M23 and government. forces. Zones occupied. by M23. 200 km. kinshasa. Rwanda. Lake Kivu. Map data: OSM, NASA. Sources: military and humanitari

KINSHASA, Congo — More than 100,000 people have been displaced ... The group rose to prominence in 2012 when its fighters seized Goma, eastern Congo’s largest city on the border with Rwanda. M23 is one of more than 100 armed groups that have been ...

The Congolese army acknowledged on 21 January the advance of M23 rebels in South Kivu province. Backed by Rwanda’s army, the rebels have captured a key town and are trying to isolate Goma as the Angola-led mediation efforts stall.

KINSHASA, Congo (AP ... The group rose to prominence in 2012 when its fighters seized Goma, eastern Congo’s largest city on the border with Rwanda. M23 is one of more than 100 armed groups ...

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The minister and his new director have known each other for many years. In the early 2000s when he was at the helm of the SNPC, Itoua dispatched Onanga to train as an oil engineer in Houston.