Rwanda-backed M23 rebels claim major Congolese city, which Congo calls a ‘declaration of war’ [Video]

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Foreign Minister warned Sunday that an “attack of unprecedented intensity is taking place in plain sight of the world” as rebel forces and allied Rwandan forces entered the outskirts of Goma. Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner spoke at an emergency session of the UN Security Council. (AP Video / Jan. 26, 2025)

By Justin Kabumba And Monika Pronczuk The Associated Press

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Rwanda-backed rebels claimed they captured eastern Congo’s largest city, Goma, early Monday, as the United Nations described a mass panic among its 2 million people and Congo’s government said the rebel advance was a “declaration of war.”

The M23 rebelsannounced the city’s capture in a statement minutes before a 48-hour deadline expired that had been imposed by the group for the Congolese army to surrender their weapons. Early Monday morning, gunfire was heard throughout the city, according to two aid …

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