GOMA: Heavy artillery fire rocked the eastern Congolese city of Goma on Monday as France warned the capital of the mineral-rich region was on the brink of falling to group fighters and Rwandan troops. The M23 armed group and Rwandan soldiers entered the centre of Goma on Sunday night after weeks of advancing on the main city in the Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province.
The city, close to the border with Rwanda, is home to more than a million residents and nearly as many displaced people, in a region that has been mired by internal and cross-border violence for three decades. The latest fighting has intensified a humanitarian crisis, displacing more than 400,000 people since the start of the year, according to the UN. Amid mounting international concern, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the Rwanda-backed offensive "must stop", expressing his country's solidarity with the DRC "as Goma prepares to fall". — AFP
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