The assessments conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations (UN), and partner organizations have reported that 700 people were killed during the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels’ insurgency in Goma City, North Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The people were killed during fierce fighting between M23 rebels and Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) soldiers and militia coalition from January 26-30, 2025.
The fighting left Goma city in the hands of M23 rebels, also resulted in the death of Major General Peter Cirimwami Nkuba, military governor of North Kivu province, and 16 South African soldiers on the frontlines.
Stephane Dujarric, United Nations spokesperson, revealed on Friday that in addition to the 700 people killed, 2,800 others were injured.
Dujarric noted that the figures are expected to increase in the coming days because assessments are still ongoing.
He stated that health facilities in the outskirts of the city, specifically Bulangu and Lushagala, are operating under dire conditions.
Bruno Lemarquis, UN humanitarian coordinator in DR Congo, stated that hospitals in Goma city, supported by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and WHO, have treated more than 1,000 wounded, many of them civilian victims of gunfire and heavy artillery explosions. He raised concerns about the lack of medicines, equipment, and medical personnel, which jeopardizes the care of the injured and increases the risk of human losses.
Lemarquis called for the immediate and continued resumption of operations at Goma International Airport (currently closed by M23 rebels), explaining that it is an essential access point for humanitarian supplies, aid delivery, and the free movement of populations and their goods.
While M23 rebels have threatened to advance to the country’s capital, Kinshasa, President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi has vowed to fight back with full force.
Meanwhile, the first batch of United Nations staff and their eligible dependents who fled Goma city to Rwanda over insurgency on Friday night crossed into Uganda through the Katuna border.
The officials arrived in Uganda at 10:30 PM and were welcomed by Kabale district security authorities led by Godfrey Nyakahuma, Resident District Commissioner. The officials, traveling in buses, later proceeded to Kampala.
Nyakahuma told our reporter that the officials will be escorted by Ugandan security up to Entebbe International Airport and then flown to Kinshasa.
According to Nyakahuma, the officials were led to Entebbe because there are no possible flights from Kigali to Kinshasa.
Without disclosing the number of those who crossed in the first batch, Nyakahuma said they expect more than 1,000 staff to cross.
The insurgency resumed in 2022, led by Bertrand Bisimwa and Emmanuel Sultan Makenga, capturing FARDC positions in Tchanzu and Runoni in Rutshuru territory and later advancing to capture the Bunagana border.
Since then, the insurgency has left many parts of North Kivu and South Kivu provinces in the hands of the rebels.
In August 2024, Bisimwa and Makenga allied with Corneille Nangaa Yobeluo, leader of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) and former chairman of the country’s electoral commission, to amplify the insurgency against the government.
The DR Congo government has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting M23, a claim both Rwanda and M23 deny. The rebels assert that their fight is against corruption, xenophobia, and discrimination within the DR Congo’s leadership.
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