Goma, Jan 28 (IANS) Rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) took control of the facilities of the Congolese National Radio and Television (RTNC) in Goma, a city under onslaught by the rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), sources of RTNC confirmed.
Radio Okapi, a media outlet supported by the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in the DRC, cited multiple sources and described the siege of the national television station as a strategic advance for the rebels, who are seeking to establish their domination over the city, Xinhua news agency reported.
Since Sunday evening, gunfire has been heard across Goma. On Monday morning, fighting intensified in various parts of the city, including areas near the border with Rwanda, local sources told Xinhua.
Other local sources said that the rebels gained the upper hand after capturing Mount Goma, a strategic hill 1,500 metres above sea level in the city’s center. Several M23 columns entered neighbourhoods in the city, with their movement along both major and minor roads observed by residents.
According to UN sources, the border between Rwanda and the DRC near Goma was closed Monday morning. For several days, a significant number of Goma residents have crossed the border to seek refuge in Gisenyi, a Rwandan town bordering the DRC, where panic has been mounting amid reports of gunfire.
In its latest statement released early Monday, the M23 announced that the “liberation of the city has been completed” and that “the situation is under control” following a 48-hour ultimatum given to Congolese soldiers.
On Saturday, the M23 issued a 48-hour deadline for the DRC armed forces and their allies to surrender.
The DRC government said Monday that it “continues to work to avoid carnage and the loss of human life” in Goma. Meanwhile, DRC President Felix Tshisekedi called an inter-institutional meeting in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, but his spokesperson Tina Salama did not give further details.
Tensions remain high following recent advances by the M23 in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. According to sources of the UN peacekeeping mission, several important facilities have been taken over by the rebel group, including the airport, the port and a local base of the DRC military. The latest report from a UN group of experts said the rebels have seized several towns and established a parallel administration.
–IANS
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