Goma (TDI): The UN has said that at least 700 people have been killed in intense fighting in Goma, the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, since Sunday.
UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric stated that 2,800 people have been wounded, as M23 rebels – backed by Rwanda – seized the capital of North Kivu province.
The rebels are now moving south towards Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu.
The conflict in eastern DR Congo dates back to the 1990s but has rapidly escalated in recent weeks.
M23, which is made up of ethnic Tutsis, claim they are fighting for minority rights, while DR Congo’s government says the Rwanda-backed rebels desire control of the eastern region’s vast mineral wealth.
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On Friday, Dujarric said the casualty figures came from an assessment made by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners, alongside the DR Congo’s government, between Sunday and Thursday.
The UN spokesman also warned the fatalities would rise further.
Defensive Line
In an attempt to halt M23’s progress, the DR Congo army has set up a defensive line on the road between Goma and Bukavu.
Jean-Jacques Purusi Sadiki, the governor of South Kivu – the province M23 are marching on – said the government army and its allies were holding back the rebels.
Earlier this week, M23 pledged to continue its offensive until it reached the capital Kinshasa, nearly 2,600km (1,600 miles) to the west.
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Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the country’s foreign minister, said that Rwanda was illegally occupying her country and attempting to orchestrate regime change.
Wagner said the global community had allowed Rwandan President Paul Kagame decades of impunity and failed to hold him responsible for violating international law.
Rwanda’s government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo denied the allegation, stating the country’s forces were only deployed to prevent the conflict spilling over to its territory.