By ASSOCIATED PRESS
GOMA, Congo (AP) — Rwanda-backed rebels claimed on Monday they captured eastern Congo’s strategic city of Goma, the hub of a region containing trillions of dollars in mineral wealth that remains largely untapped.
Analysts said the M23 fighters aimed to control the city of about 2 million people and perhaps other areas in the region nearly 1,000 miles from the Congolese capital.
It marks a sharp escalation in one of Africa’s longest wars, threatening to dramatically worsen a dire humanitarian crisis.
People displaced by the fighting with M23 rebels make their way to the center of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
People displaced by the fighting with M23 rebels make their way to the center of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
The offensive has sent thousands fleeing their homes, in addition to 1 million displaced who are already in Goma, and stretched hospitals to the limit, with hundreds of wounded coming in every day as civilians get caught in the crossfire.
This series of photos documents the events as they unfold.
Congolese government troops deploy outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, as M23 rebels are reported to close in on the town. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
Congolese government troops deploy outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, as M23 rebels are reported to close in on the town. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
People displaced by the fighting with M23 rebels make their way to the center of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
People displaced by the fighting with M23 rebels make their way to the center of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
People displaced by the fighting with M23 rebels make their way to the center of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
People displaced by the fighting with M23 rebels make their way to the center of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
A UN armored personnel carrier burns during clashes with M23 rebels outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
A UN armored personnel carrier burns during clashes with M23 rebels outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
People displaced by the fighting with M23 rebels make their way to the center of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
People displaced by the fighting with M23 rebels make their way to the center of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
Congolese government troops deploy outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, as M23 rebels are reported to close in on the town. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
Congolese government troops deploy outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, as M23 rebels are reported to close in on the town. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
UN troops deploy outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, as M23 rebels are reported to close in on the town. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
UN troops deploy outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, as M23 rebels are reported to close in on the town. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
A UN armored personnel carrier burns during clashes with M23 rebels outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
A UN armored personnel carrier burns during clashes with M23 rebels outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
Congolese children watch the deployment of government and UN troops outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, as M23 rebels are reported to close in on the town. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
Congolese children watch the deployment of government and UN troops outside Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, as M23 rebels are reported to close in on the town. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
Mariam Nasibu stands by her 10-year-old daughter Deborah, who was wounded in the fighting between M23 rebels and Congolese armed forces, in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
Mariam Nasibu stands by her 10-year-old daughter Deborah, who was wounded in the fighting between M23 rebels and Congolese armed forces, in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
A person wounded in the fighting between M23 rebels and Congolese armed forces arrives at the Cbeca Ndosho hospital in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
A person wounded in the fighting between M23 rebels and Congolese armed forces arrives at the Cbeca Ndosho hospital in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
A child wounded in the fighting between M23 rebels and Congolese armed forces lies on a bed at the Cbeca Ndosho hospital in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
A child wounded in the fighting between M23 rebels and Congolese armed forces lies on a bed at the Cbeca Ndosho hospital in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
People wounded in the fighting between M23 rebels and Congolese armed forces arrive at the Cbeca Ndosho hospital in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
People wounded in the fighting between M23 rebels and Congolese armed forces arrive at the Cbeca Ndosho hospital in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
People wounded in the fighting between M23 rebels and Congolese armed forces arrive at the Cbeca Ndosho hospital in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
People wounded in the fighting between M23 rebels and Congolese armed forces arrive at the Cbeca Ndosho hospital in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
People fleeing M-23 rebel advances arrive by boat in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
People fleeing M-23 rebel advances arrive by boat in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
