Rebels say dem occupy DR Congo city as thousands leave home

Rebels of di M23 movement say dem don take control of di city of Goma for di east of di Democratic Republic of Congo.

Pipo wey dey live for di area share videos of M23 rebels as dem dey patrol Goma main streets afta one lightning advance against Congolese army on Sunday.

Dis overtake don make tens of thousands of pipo to run comot from di city go neighbouring towns.

After hours of gunfire and explosions for di streets of Goma - home to more dan one million pipo – tins don quiet now, according to local media reports.

E dey happun hours afta DR Congo foreign minister accuse Rwanda of declaring war by sending im troops over dia border to support M23 rebels.

Rwanda say Kinshasa dey support militiants wey want regime change for Kigali.

Kenya don call for ceasefire, and announce say di presidents of both DR Congo and Rwanda to attend one emergency regional summit in two days.

Kenyan President William Ruto, wey be di current chair of di East African Community, say na responsibility of regional leaders to help find peaceful solution to di conflict.

Di M23 group don take control of many parts of di mineral-rich eastern region of DR Congo since 2021.

For di past few weeks di group bin dey move sharply enta Goma wit serious fighting.

Since di beginning of 2025 more dan 400,000 pipo na im dem don displaced for di north and South Kivu provinces near di border wit Rwanda, according to UN refugee agency.

One displaced woman, Alice Feza, say she confuse, she no know wetin to do next, as she run from Kiwanja, Rutshuru, Kibumba and now, Goma.

"Pipo just dey run from everywia, and we no know wia to go again, becos we we don start to dey run a long time ago," Feza say, come add: "Di war catch us here among di host families, now we no get wia to go."

Major roads wey surround Goma dey blocked and dem no fit use di city airport again for evacuation and humanitarian efforts, UN tok.

Inside one statement early on Monday morning, di goment say im forces still dey control strategic parts of di city including di airport.

"Contrary to di manipulative messages wey dey fly upandan for social media di FARDC [DR Congo army] hold Goma airport... and all di strategic points of di capital of North Kivu Province," im say.

E add say di army dey "more dan determined to defend di homeland at di cost of di supreme sacrifice".

One pesin wey dey live dia tell tori pipo Reuters news agency say dem bin get "confusion inside di city; here near di airport, we see soldiers. I neva see di M23 yet", come add say dem bin get cases of some pipo stealing from shops.

Local tori pesin Akilimali Selah Chomachoma tell BBC Newsday programme say gunfire still dey continue and di situation dey "complicated".

Reverend Damiri, chaplain of HEAL Africa hospital for Goma, tell BBC say e dey calm wia im dey, although im fit hear gunshots from anoda side of di city.

"Goma na big city... We still get quite a number of sojas wey don gada togeda, but big part of di city dey under control of di rebels," im say.

UN Secretary General António Guterres don call on Rwanda to withdraw im military forces from DR Congo territory.

E also call on di M23 rebel group to stop dia invasion.

Guterres, for one statement through im tok tok pesin, call on Rwanda to "cease support to M23 and withdraw from DRC territory".

Im also call on M23 to "immediately cease all hostile actions and withdraw from occupied areas".

Dis na afta 13 sojas wey dey serve peacekeeping forces die for clashes wit di rebels.

Di United Kingdom on call for end to attacks on peacekeepers, while France UN representative, Nicolas de Rivière, repeat Guterres call say make Rwanda withdraw im troops from DR Congo.

Both DR Congo and UN say na Rwanda dey dey back M23 group.

Rwanda never deny dis but di kontri leaders put di blame on DR Congo for di current conflict.

Speaking for UN Security Council meeting, Rwanda UN representative Ernest Rwamucyo say im regret say di international community choose to condemn M23 group instead of di Congolese army, wey im say, violate ceasefire.

On Saturday, UN say e go pull all im non-essential staff out of Goma. Essential operations dey go on for DR Congo.

Di M23 wey bin form from anoda rebel group for 2012, im work na mainly to protect di Tutsi population wey dey live for east of DR Congo, wey don dey complain for long say dem dey face persecution and discrimination.

Rwanda don first tok before say Congo authorities dey work wit some of pipo wey dey responsible for di 1994 Rwanda genocide against ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

However, pipo wey dey criticise Rwanda dey accuse am of using M23 to steal minerals like gold, cobalt and tantalum for eastern DR Congo.