Congo’s M23 rebellion risks sparking a regional war
Goma is under a terrifying siege
Dozens of families sit under a large tarpaulin on bare volcanic rock, surrounded by plastic buckets and bundles of clothes. Deafening blasts of artillery fire punctuate the sound of children wailing at one of the many displacement camps outside Goma, the main city in the east of Congo. M23 rebels are entrenched just six miles away. “My husband was killed,” says Aline Batachoka, a fresh arrival huddled together with other young women for warmth. “There was war and massacres.”
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “On the brink”
Middle East & Africa February 24th 2024
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From the February 24th 2024 edition
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