Panic reigns in Goma. Inhabitants of the million-city, which Rwanda-connected rebels M23 are said to have taken control of, are fleeing in masses.
The situation is described by Doctors Without Borders' Natàlia Torrent, program manager for the organization's activities in the region on site in Goma, as complex, unstable and "very, very, very violent".
There are ongoing battles in the city, we hear it from our shelters, she says in an audio clip from Monday that the organization sent to TT.
Many civilians affected
The violence is ongoing, both closer to the city center and around the refugee camps, many of which have been displaced multiple times, where Doctors Without Borders are working. There are warnings of heavy artillery fire.
The hospitals where Doctors Without Borders are active have received many civilians who have been injured, Torrent reports. However, several clinics have been forced to close down in recent days due to the risks.
We are worried about the possibility of continuing, says Natália Torrent.
Save the Children affected
On Monday, Save the Children's office in Goma was hit by an explosion, according to Save the Children in an email to TT.
No staff members were injured, but the risks are great for everyone in the area since the intense battles continue, according to Greg Lamm, country director for Save the Children in Congo-Kinshasa.
About twenty people have been killed, several of them civilians, and hundreds have been injured in the escalation between M23 rebels and the Congolese army, according to AFP.
M23 is one of hundreds of armed groups fighting to secure a foothold in the mineral-rich but war-torn region. Rwanda denies allegations from, among others, the UN and the US, of supporting the rebel group.
