DAKAR, Senegal — (AP) — Bodies are lying on the streets. Medical staff in overwhelmed hospitals are treating hundreds of wounded civilians against the backdrop of gunfire and explosions. Electricity, water and internet access are cut off, and medical and food warehouses are being looted.
It remained unclear how much of Goma is controlled by the rebels, who marched into eastern Congo's strategic city early Monday to both fear and cheers among residents.
But more than 2 million of its civilian residents, including one million already displaced by the violence, were already paying the price, with the U.N. and aid agencies warning of "catastrophic" humanitarian consequences.
“The situation is confusing, complex and horrific,” said Greg Ramm, Congo’s country director for Save The Children, an aid group. “There is no safe place to go from Goma. Every time a family flees the guns and bombs to a supposed safe place, they are forced to move again.”
There were also reports of sexual violence and rape committed by the fighters in the city, the U.N. said.
The M23 group is one of about 100 armed factions vying for a foothold in eastern Congo in one of Africa's longest conflicts, displacing 4.5 million people and creating what the U.N. called "one of the most protracted, complex, serious humanitarian crises on Earth."
The rebels’ offensive in the region, which contains trillions of dollars in mineral wealth, escalated in recent weeks, sending additional hundreds of thousands fleeing their homes and displacement camps.
About 300,000 people sheltering in camps on Goma’s outskirts fled into the city as front lines moved over the weekend, according to the U.N., only to find themselves trapped by the violence once again as rebels entered the city.
With the ongoing fighting, the airport closed and roads blocked, aid groups said on Tuesday that they were unable to provide lifesaving support to those in need.
“World Vision, which has been supporting people living in Goma ... and in the long-term displacement camps in and around the city, has suspended its aid operations due to armed group and Congolese Army operations that have shuttered roads and supply lines,” said David Munkley, head of operations in eastern Congo for the Christian aid group World Vision.
Medical facilities are at double their capacity. The main hospital in Goma treating the wounded, run by the International Committee of the Red Cross, is stretched beyond its limits, with tents set up in its courtyard to accommodate civilians wounded by bullets and heavy artillery, its staff said on Tuesday.
“The wounded are transported by motorbike, others by bus, or with the help of Congolese Red Cross volunteers," said Myriam Favier, head of the ICRC sub-delegation in Goma. “Civilians arrive seriously wounded by bullets or shrapnel. The entire hospital is mobilized and the three surgical teams work tirelessly to treat patients who are sometimes lying on the floor due to lack of space.”
Humanitarian workers and medical staff are targets themselves. ICRC medical warehouse was looted, and their staff and ambulance were shot at. Save the Children’s office in Goma was hit by an explosion on Tuesday, the group said.
World Food Program spokesperson Shelley Thakral said the agency is “concerned about food scarcity in Goma and rising food prices,” given that food assistance activities in the area have been “temporarily paused” and the airport and major access roads have been cut off. The WFP warehouse in Goma has also been looted.
Goma is a regional trade and humanitarian hub, hosting hundreds of thousands of the more than 6 million people displaced by eastern Congo’s prolonged conflict over ethnic tensions, resulting in one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.
“I’ve seen large numbers of people lining the sides of the roads carrying their belongings – mattresses, buckets, and household items – on their backs or bicycles, fleeing for their lives," said Maina Kingori, Congo's director for the aid group, CARE International. “The fear, anxiety, and mental anguish are palpable in the region."
Some of the civilians, desperate to flee the fighting, crossed into Rwanda to seek safety. More than 1,000 Congolese have been registered since Monday, according to Rwandan authorities.
Christian Bahati, a Congolese teacher was among hundreds sheltering in Gisenyi, just across the border from Congo.
“What we want is this war to come to an end,” he said. “Congolese people are victims, but now they find themselves seeking refuge from the aggressor.”
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Associated Press writer Ignatius Ssuuna in Gisenyi, Rwanda and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
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