Goma hospital morgues have 773 dead, according to the Congo’s health ministry

The health ministry of the Democratic Republic of the Congo announced on Saturday that 773 dead were in hospital morgues in and around the eastern Congolese city of Goma as of Jan. 30, following this week’s onslaught by M23 rebels backed by Rwanda.

According to the government, more dead are lying on the streets and morgues are overcrowded. Additionally, 2,880 injuries were reported between January 26 and January 30.

The capital of North Kivu province, which is home to profitable gold, coltan, and tin mines, as well as the largest city in east Congo, Goma, was taken over by Tutsi-led M23 rebels on Tuesday.

After that, they proceeded to Bukavu in South Kivu, but on Friday, Congolese forces backed by Burundi’s army seemed to be impeding their progress.

After two wars that followed Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, M23 is the most recent in a long series of Rwandan-backed rebel groups to appear in Congo’s unstable eastern borderlands. They are well-trained and properly armed.

A protracted humanitarian catastrophe that has forced hundreds of people to seek refuge in Goma after escaping combat between M23 and Congolese army has been made worse by the most recent escalation.

As the rebels gained ground this month, thousands more poured into the city.

During the days of intense combat surrounding Goma’s surrender, humanitarian groups found it difficult to maintain overburdened hospitals and provide aid despite extensive warehouse looting and gunfire that also harmed their own employees.

Doctors Without Borders, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres, said on Friday that it had run out of medicine and had ceased providing relief to those living in camps for displaced persons. The World Food Program said that it had halted operations and evacuated employees.

Congo’s health ministry said that there was a lack of body bags, ambulances, and medical equipment, and that access to some areas of the city was still restricted due to security concerns.

HOME RETURN FOR DISPLACED

Following fierce combat that resulted in summary executions, the bombardment of refugee camps, and claims of gang rape and other sexual atrocities, the U.N. said Saturday was a tentative start to daily life in Goma.

M23 has been determined to demonstrate their ability to rule and restore order. Residents were informed that school will restart and that displaced persons would be permitted to return home, while power and water, which had been out of commission for days, have been largely restored.

The markets reopened, but there was still little food and many stalls were deserted. Mobile internet was still unavailable, according to one client.

People were fleeing displacement camps, according to three humanitarian sources. The Alliance Fleuve Congo, the political alliance supporting the M23, stated its goal was to make it easier for people to return home “as soon as conditions allow” since highways were reopened. Corneille Nangaa added that people were leaving because of this.

“We are going to ask all these NGOs for their support (with this), but the challenge is to do everything, to move from humanitarian aid to development,” Nangaa stated on Friday.

M23 ADVANCE STALLS FOR REBEL

The army moved back on Saturday, and fighting seemed to have paused.

The villages of Mukwija, Shanje, Numbi, and Nyamasasa, as well as other places in Kalehe area, which is about midway between Goma and Bukavu, have been retaken by the Congo’s army, according to local civil society leader Justin Mulindangabo.

Residents of Kavumu, a town located 35 kilometers (22 miles) north of Bukavu, were going back to their regular routines, according to Mulindangabo.

There was no violence in Kalehe on Saturday morning, according to a different civil society source. Although combat was still going on elsewhere, a local official said that the army had fortified its position in Kalehe and recaptured a number of villages, including Mukwija.

A request for comment on Saturday was not answered by the Congolese army.
In South Kivu and other places, Burundi, which borders both Rwanda and Congo, has been bolstering Congolese soldiers.

Evariste Ndayishimiye, the president of Burundi, threatened to respond on Friday against any Rwandan incursion into his territory and “generalization” of the conflict.

Olivier Nduhungirehe, Rwanda’s minister of foreign affairs, claimed on Saturday that Burundi was attempting to topple Rwanda’s government in Kigali.

International condemnation of Rwanda and repeated requests for a ceasefire have been triggered by the most recent escalation of the violence.

Rwanda claims to be defending itself and has always denied backing M23. Congo disputes the claims and charges Rwanda with stealing key resources with M23.