Congolese helicopter gunships swooped low over the plains to fire volleys of rockets and troops trucked towards the front line to halt Rwanda-backed fighters advancing on DR Congo’s eastern provincial capital after capturing a string of towns.The Mi-24s — rarely used because of the M23 and Rwanda anti-aircraft defences — fly low over the plain, unloading a salvo of rockets before turning back.After multiple setbacks, the army appears to be throwing all its might into the battle around the town of Sake.Trucks loaded with soldiers and pulling cannons pass by followed by an old spluttering Soviet tank. The M23 armed group has gained swathes of territory in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo since its resurgence in 2021 — and now almost surrounds the city of Goma.Crowds of onlookers perch on rocks to watch the soldiers and vehicles stream along the road towards the front line about 10 kilometres (six miles) from the North Kivu provincial capital.Most have fled their homes for displacement camps and watch out of curiosity or, like Donatien Kahimbi, to show support for the forces.”We came just to give moral support to the soldiers, to make them strong,” Kahimbi, a mason who has been displaced in the area for 11 months, said. “We have fled three times, we are completely traumatised, we do not know what to do,” he added.Electrician Christian Dieudonne came in the hope of finding family members who fled the recently M23 captured town of Minova after him.”We don’t know if they are already dead,” he said.”We are waiting for those who will pass by and who will perhaps be able to tell us,” he added.Congolese special forces stand guard, partly hidden in the grass, where a rocket at times flies into the sky.They try to stop people running after their vehicles — but mostly in vain.”Don’t go any further, there’s shooting over there,” a guard shouts.Bullets whizz over their heads, fired into the sky by militia on motorcycles. But the gathered onlookers are unfazed.Pro-Kinshasa militia, known as Wazalendo or “patriots” in Swahili, are greeted with cheers.Troops from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), often rebuked for inaction in the face of the M23, bring in their heavy artillery, pulled by armoured trucks.From the centre of Goma, around 10 kilometres (six miles) away, the sound of explosions is still distant.The city’s streets are tense as soldiers and militia speed through, weaving around traffic jams with weapons to hand.Roads in the west of the city are packed with minibuses and motorcycle taxis carrying passengers loaded with luggage who are fleeing the fighting.In the opposite direction, vehicles return empty to pick more up.
Thu, 23 Jan 2025 17:23:30 GMT
