Thousands flee with the closure of the M23 rebels in the main city of Guma

Tens of thousands of people from cities in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, with rebel forces closed in the city of Guma.

The explosions and gunshots in the city – home to more than a million people – were heard late Sunday evening, according to local media reports.

A spokesman for the Rebel Group Group told Reuters, whose forces will take control of Goma at 03:00 local time (01:00 GMT).

This comes hours after Foreign Minister Dr. Congo Rwanda accused the war by sending its forces to the border to support the M23 rebels. Rwanda says Kinshasa supports militias that want to change the system in Kigali.

Kenya called for a ceasefire, and announced that the presidents of Dr. Kongo and Rwanda will attend a regional emergency summit in the next two days.

Kenyan President William Roto, the current president of East Africa, said that regional leaders should help facilitate a peaceful solution to the conflict.

Meanwhile, on the ground, the M23 rebels called on the Congolese forces in Juma to surrender in order to avoid bloodshed.

The group has dominated vast parts of the Eastern Congo, rich in minerals since 2021. In the past few weeks, the group has been rapidly advanced to Goma amid intense fighting.

Since the beginning of 2025, more than 400,000 people have been displaced in north and south of Kivu, with provinces near the border with Rwanda, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency.

One of the displaced women, Alice Visa, said that she is confused who should be done after that, as she fled from Kiwanja, Rothsuro, Kepumbumba and now, Goma.

Ms. Visa said: “People flee from everywhere, and we do not know where to go anymore, because we started in the mouse.”

The United Nations said that the main roads surrounding Goma are prohibited and it is no longer possible to use the city’s airport for evacuation and humanitarian efforts.

United Nations Secretary -General Antonio Guterres Rwanda called for the withdrawal of its forces from the lands of Dr. Kongo and the M23 rebel group to stop its progress over Guma.

In a statement through his spokesperson, Guterres called for “stopping support to M23 and withdrawing from the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” M23 also called for “immediately stopping all hostilities and withdrawing from the occupied areas.”

This comes after the killing of 13 soldiers who were serving peacekeepers in clashes with the rebels.

The UK called for the end of the attacks on peacekeepers, while Nicholas de Revier, the representative of the United Nations in France, repeated Guterres to Rwanda to withdraw its forces from the Congo Dr.

Dr Cong and Uns says the M23 group is supported by Rwanda.

Rwanda did not deny this, but the country’s leaders blaming Dr. Congo for the current conflict.

Speaking at the Security Council meeting, the United Nations representative in Rwanda, Ernest Roamusio, said that he regrets that the international community chooses to condemn the M23 group instead of the Congolese army, which violated the ceasefire.

On Saturday, the United Nations said it would withdraw all its unnecessary employees from Goma. The basic operations are continuing in the Congo DR.