Tens of thousands of people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo fled the cities in the east of the country as the rebel forces are approaching the city of Juma.
Local media reports stated that explosions and gunshots were heard in the city of more than a million people late on Sunday evening.
A spokesman for the rebel group told Reuters news that its forces would control Juma at 03:00 local time (01:00 GMT).
This comes hours after the Foreign Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo accused Rwanda of announcing the war of sending its forces across the border to support the M23 rebels. Rwanda says it has taken a defensive position.
The March 23 rebels called on the Congolese forces in Juma to surrender to avoid bloodshed.
The group has dominated large parts of the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2021. In the past few weeks, the group has been rapidly advancing towards Juma amid heavy fighting.
Since the beginning of 2025, more than 400,000 people have been displaced in north and south of Kivu, which are close to the border with Rwanda, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency.
One of the displaced, Alice Visa, said that she does not know what to do after that, because she fled from Kiwanja, Rochoro, Kepumbumba and now from Goma.
“People flee from everywhere, and we do not know where to go anymore, because we have started to flee a long time ago,” said Ms. Visa. “.
United Nations Secretary -General Antonio Guterres Rwanda called for the withdrawal of its forces from the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and called on the M23 rebel group to stop its progress towards Juma.
In a statement via his spokesman, Guterres called on Rwanda to “stop supporting the M23 movement and withdrawing from the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” The March 23 movement also called for “the immediate endowment of all hostilities and withdrawal from the occupied areas.”
This comes after the killing of 13 soldiers working in the peacekeeping forces in clashes with the rebels.
The UK called for the end of the attacks on peacekeepers, while the representative of France to the United Nations, Nicolas de Revier, reiterated Guterres to Rwanda to withdraw its forces from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Nations says the M -23 group is supported by Rwanda.
Rwanda did not deny this, but the country's leaders blamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the current conflict.
Speaking at the Security Council meeting, Rwanda's representative to the United Nations, Ernest Roamusio, said that he regretted that the international community chose to condemn the M23 instead of the Congolese army, who said he had violated the ceasefire.
The United Nations said on Saturday that it would withdraw all its non -essential employees from Goma. The basic operations are continuing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
