9 UN peacekeepers injured as rebels close in on eastern Congo’s main city

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Nine United Nations peacekeepers in eastern Congo sustained injuries during fighting with the M23 armed group, the U.N. said, as the rebels close in on Goma.

M23 has made significant territorial gains in recent weeks, encircling Goma, which has around 2 million people and is a regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts.

The peacekeepers were wounded during clashes with the rebels over the past two days in the town of Sake, the U.N. peacekeeping force in Congo, said in a statement Friday.

On Thursday, the rebels took control of the town, which is only 27 kilometers (16 miles) west of Goma and one of the last main routes into the provincial capital still under government control, according to the U.N. chief.

M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo, along the border with Rwanda, in a decadeslong conflict that has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

The rebel group seized Goma in 2012 and controlled it for over a week.

Since 2021, Congo’s government and allied forces, including Burundian troops and U.N. troops, have been keeping M23 away from Goma.

Congo, the United States and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing M23, which is mainly composed of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army over a decade ago.

Rwanda’s government denies the claim but last year acknowledged that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a buildup of Congolese forces near the border. U.N. experts estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo

The M23 advance in eastern Congo has displaced more than 400,000 people since the beginning of the year, according to the U.N. refugee agency, exacerbating “desperate conditions” in severely overcrowded displacement centers in and around Goma and triggering an increase in cholera cases.

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Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal.