Kinshasa [Congo], February 2 : Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reported that at least 773 people have been killed in Goma, the largest city in the country's east, and surrounding areas within a week due to ongoing clashes with M23 rebels, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
The M23 rebel group and Rwandan Defence Force (RDF) continued their march toward the city of Bukavu, having taken control of the provincial capital, Goma, earlier this week.
In a briefing on Saturday in Kinshasa, Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said, "These figures remain provisional because the rebels asked the population to clean the streets of Goma. There should be mass graves and the Rwandans took care to evacuate theirs."
Muyaya further said that the death toll could be higher.
Notably, M23 is one of more than 100 armed groups operating in eastern DRC, a region rich in minerals essential for global technology. According to United Nations experts, the group is supported by approximately 4,000 Rwandan troops.
Although the rebels attempted to advance further, the DRC's military managed to push them back in some villages. However, the army suffered heavy losses, losing hundreds of soldiers, while some foreign mercenaries surrendered to the rebels following the fall of Goma.
As the M23 rebel group and Rwandan Defence Force (RDF) continued their march toward the city of Bukavu, having taken control of the provincial capital, Goma, earlier this week, the head of UN Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix had briefed the reporters at UN Headquarters on Friday,
"We are concerned not only as far as the eastern DRC is concerned, but if you look at the past, this has the potential of triggering a wider regional conflict," he said.
"Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that all diplomatic efforts should be geared towards avoiding this and bringing about a cessation of hostilities," Lacroix added.
Earlier on Friday, India also expressed concern over the conflict in parts of the DRC, where a significant Indian community resides.
The Ministry of External Affairs said that around 25,000 Indian nationals live in the DRC, including approximately 1,000 in the conflict-affected city of Goma but most of them have moved to safer places.
"In the Democratic Republic of Congo, we saw that conflict was going on in some cities and some areas. Around 25,000 Indian citizens live in the Democratic Republic of Congo. There are about 1000 Indian nationals who were living in Goma, but most of them have moved to safer places. Our Embassy has issued an advisory and has also provided helpline numbers so that if anyone faces any problem, they can contact them immediately," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo's president vowed a "vigorous" military response against Rwandan-backed fighters who have advanced further in the mineral-rich east of the country after seizing most of the region's main city, as reported by Al Jazeera.
DRC President Felix Tshisekedi, in his first remarks since M23 rebels captured much of Goma, had said in a late-night address on Wednesday that a "vigorous and coordinated response against these terrorists and their sponsors is underway."
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