U.N. says M23 in Goma, peacekeepers sheltering as humanitarian needs grow in eastern DRC

Steph, the U.N. spokesperson, told reporters that the situation in Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo remained "tense and rather fluid," with credible reports that M23 forces had entered the city and that U.N. peacekeepers and troops were sheltering in their bases.

The spokesperson said the U.N. has been told M23 forces control Goma’s airport, hospitals are overwhelmed, essential services have been disrupted, and there are reports of escaped prisoners and looting. "Medical facilities in Goma are reportedly overwhelmed, and essential services have obviously been disrupted," Steph said.

She said that the secretary-general spoke by phone with President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and that there was a special emphasis in the call with Kagame on the need to protect civilians.

Vivian Vandepere, identified in the briefing as the deputy special representative for operations in the U.N. peacekeeping operation in the DRC, was expected to brief the Security Council via video from Goma, Steph said.

Armed clashes were also reported in other regions, including Masisi, Rutshuru and Nyiragongo (locations referenced during the briefing), and those clashes were displacing civilians and complicating humanitarian access. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told the briefing that ambulances and humanitarian warehouses have been targeted and that protests in Kinshasa against the situation turned violent, with demonstrators setting fires outside U.N. premises and some embassies.

When asked whether the secretary-general had asked Rwanda to withdraw support for the M23 fighters, the spokesperson said the secretary-general "has been very clear both publicly and privately on the need for Rwanda to cease support to the M23 and withdraw from the DRC." She added the U.N. is in touch with French authorities and regional partners and referenced the Luanda process as the primary political mechanism to which parties should recommit.

Steph said humanitarian partners such as the World Food Programme had to pause some activities in North Kivu because of continued fighting and that looting of warehouses in Goma had impeded deliveries.

The U.N. also said more information would be provided when operational briefings take place and that efforts to coordinate with the African Union and other regional actors were ongoing.

No formal U.N. decisions or new deployments were announced at the briefing.