HEAVY battles between M23 fighters and Congolese government forces in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) city of Goma have left many bodies on the streets, with hospitals struggling to deal with the growing number of casualties.
In the capital Kinshasa, protesters criticising international inaction attacked the embassies of Rwanda, France, Belgium and the United States on Tuesday.
On Monday, the rebels, which the United Nations says are backed by Rwanda, marched into Goma and declared the key city under their control, signalling a big blow to the Congolese army and a serious escalation in the years-long conflict that has killed hundreds and displaced millions in the region.
DRC’s Rural Development Minister, Muhindo Nzangi, said the Congolese army controlled 80 per cent of Goma, with Rwandan troops either on the city’s outskirts or back across the border.
At a news briefing on Tuesday, the UN and other aid agencies warned that hospitals are overwhelmed in Goma, treating hundreds of patients with gunshot, mortar and shrapnel wounds while many bodies lie in the streets.
‘Hospitals are overwhelmed. There are currently hundreds of people in hospital, most admitted with gunshot wounds,’ said Adelheid Marschang, WHO’s emergency response coordinator for the DRC.
At least 17 people were killed in Goma on Monday, and hospital sources said that doctors in the city were treating 367 people wounded in the clashes. Civil society members and NGOs working in Goma put the death toll at 25, with 375 people wounded.
Greg Ramm, country director for Save the Children in DRC, said on Tuesday that while ‘we have reports that neighbourhoods are calm, a few minutes later, we hear reports of new shelling’.
Heavy small arms fire and mortar fire continued in the streets, where many dead bodies could be seen, Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office, also said at a press briefing, citing reports from UN staff in the city.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said its hospital in Goma received more than 100 wounded in just 24 hours, a number it previously received over the course of a month.
It said this had forced its staff to turn the hospital car park into a triage unit.
The use of heavy artillery in densely populated areas is causing severe injuries, particularly among children, it added.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme said food assistance activities in and around Goma ‘have been temporarily paused’ and expressed concern over food shortages.
Also on Tuesday, South Africa confirmed three of its soldiers had died in the fighting on Monday after getting ‘caught in the crossfire’. It added that another soldier killed in the recent fighting had also died on Monday, bringing the number of deaths in the past week to 13.
A UN refugee agency press release last Friday, 24 January said: ‘UNHCR is gravely concerned about the safety and security of civilians and internally displaced people (IDPs) in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as conflict further intensifies across South and North Kivu Provinces.
‘The number of people displaced has now surged to more than 400,000 this year alone, almost double the number reported just last week.
‘Since our last update on 17 January, bombs have fallen on IDP sites.
‘On 20 January, explosions at Kitalaga site in South Kivu killed two children, while on 21 January, five makeshift shelters were destroyed in Nzuolo and yesterday, Bushagara site was heavily impacted, causing panic and new waves of forced displacement.
‘Violence has also escalated in South Kivu’s Minova and Kalehe territories, displacing an additional 178,000 people as intense clashes led to non-state armed groups taking control of the town of Minova and the locality of Kalungu.
‘At least 80 per cent of the population fled towards the city of Goma. UNHCR colleagues are monitoring cross-border movements and stand ready to respond to any potential outflow of asylum-seekers.
‘Meanwhile, fighting intensified in the North Kivu town of Saké, approximately 25 kilometres from Goma, culminating in non-state armed groups seizing control.
‘Heavy bombardments caused families from at least nine displacement sites on the periphery of Goma to flee into the city to seek safety and shelter. Many spent last night sleeping on the streets and in green spaces across the city.
‘Persistent clashes between belligerents in these areas continue to deteriorate the protection environment for civilians in South and North Kivu Provinces which are already home to 4.6 million internally displaced people.
‘Human rights violations, including looting, injuries, murders, kidnappings and arbitrary arrests of displaced people mistaken for rebels have escalated.
‘Hospitals are nearing capacity with injured civilians. Vulnerable women, children, and the elderly are living in overcrowded and precarious conditions with limited access to food, water, and essential services.
‘Humanitarian access to address these urgent needs is significantly restricted. All roads to Minova, including for humanitarian aid, are closed.
‘Indiscriminate shelling has forced the temporary suspension of life-saving activities in several areas in North Kivu.
‘UNHCR echoes the Secretary General’s call to uphold human rights and international humanitarian law, and to ensure immediate and unrestricted access to populations in need of humanitarian assistance.
‘UNHCR also urges all parties to prioritise the protection of civilians, respect the civilian nature of IDP sites and refrain from using explosives and heavy weapons in overcrowded civilian environments.
It is vital, and long overdue, for peace to take root in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the benefit of its people and the region.’
Aid agency Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) said: ‘We are doing our utmost to maintain our regular and emergency activities, but in some areas we have had to limit the risks by reducing the size of our teams.
‘Around Goma, for example, direct armed violence has reduced our ability to go to certain affected sites over the past two days.
‘In Goma itself, we continue to support the Kyeshero hospital to treat some of the wounded and to relieve the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which is on the frontline treating the wounded at the Ndosho hospital. It is clear that the hospitals in Goma are completely overwhelmed by the number of wounded.
‘In the rest of North and South Kivu, despite the security and logistical challenges and restrictions on movement, we are maintaining our presence and continuing to treat patients, including the wounded.
‘In three weeks, nearly 400 casualties have been treated at the Minova General Referral hospital, the Numbi hospital centre, and the Masisi General Referral hospital. We are also continuing to support displaced people in more remote areas, such as Lubero, where we are also working to improve access to water in health facilities and at the Magasin site for displaced people.’