The rebel militia supported by Rwanda has announced the occupation of the city of Gom in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a major victory for the group and one of the most significant conflict escalations between the two countries in the last few years.

The militia, known as the M23, briefly occupied Goma once, in 2012, and then was defeated and resting for almost a decade. He is now returning to the aim of occupying the region in the long run and exploiting its valuable rare minerals, according to the experts of the United Nations.

This time it seems that the M23 is in a stronger position to keep Goma, a city composed mainly from people who have left their homes in fear and will now have to live under the rule of one of the armed groups they have escaped.

Spokesman M23 announced “Release of the City of Gom” in the announcement on X, saying that the Congenian military staff must hand over its weapons to the UN and gather at the stadium before 3am. However, there was no confirmation that this was still completed, and there were scattered reports on shooting in the city on Monday morning.

Conflict in Eastern Congo – the area of ​​Michigan’s size – was once called the African World War. It has been going on since the 1990s and includes dozens of armed groups, of which the M23 is currently dominant.

The rebels plan to occupy and exploit the region in the long run, according to the UN and the United States, who say that the group is financing and leading a much smaller neighbor of Kong, Rwanda. Rwanda rejects those accusations.

rebels progress to the crowdwhich began with an offensive in the region launched this month, he quickly escalated in the last three weeks, making people flee to – and from the city.

On Sunday morning, thousands of people arrived in Gom from the area north of the city, some carrying what few things they were able to grab in in pieces of fabric tied around their foreheads, others carrying babies only a few days old. Many were already displaced and fled from bombs that fell near the camp. Others abandoned their villages that were caught in cross -fire between M23 and the Congenian Armed Forces.

Camps in the suburbs of Gome, which had more than 300,000 people completely emptied in a few hours, the UN said.

On Friday, the military governor of northern Kivu, a province whose Goma is the capital, was fatally wounded on the battlefield, according to the spokesman of the Congoan army. The circumstances of his death remained unclear, but a spokesman said he was governor, General Peter Cirimwami, died while evacuated in Kinshas, ​​the capital of Kong.

On Saturday, the Peace Mission of the United Nations in the crowd evacuated many of its staff members from the city, placed them on buses to the airport with plans to fly to Entebbe, in neighboring Uganda.

In 2012, Rwanda found herself under strong international pressure to stop supporting the M23, and as a result, the militia was defeated next year. But it is unclear whether such pressure can be re -executed, experts say. Rwanda has since built her relations with Western countries and has become less dependent on help.

At an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Sunday, the United States and other members condemned Rwanda’s actions but did not call for sanctions. Bintou Keita, head of the UN Peace Mission in Congo, said at the meeting that three peacekeepers were killed by trying to protect Goma and the nearby Saké from the advancement of M23. She also said the rebels closed the airspace above Goma.

“In other words, we are trapped,” she said.

As the rebels progressed to the crowd, the already difficult humanitarian situation became even worse. More than 400,000 people have left their homes since the beginning of this year, according to UN data Refugee AgencyWhile the M23 rebels attacked new areas of the North Kiva province, where Goma, and the southern Kiva. They joined 4.6 million people already displaced in the east of Congo.

Yet, people were poured into Goma, often in long columns.

Some pushed a wheelchair with a few saved things. Some had bicycles or wore mattresses on their heads and back. Many of them had life -threatening injuries.

Myriam Favier, Head of the Red Cross International Committee of the Red Cross in Gomi, said on Friday that more than 100 people had arrived at the hospital where she worked – which is otherwise the number of people coming throughout the month a day earlier.

“They come from everywhere,” she said. “They come from all sides.”

Ms. Favier described medical staff treating patients with minobac or geler wounds and said that the number of minors with serious injuries was significantly increased. She invited those who use a heavy artillery to reduce their attacks, saying so many people arrive with head and chest injuries that the hospital ran out of beds and had to put patients on the mattresses in the parking lot.

Throughout Gome school, they were transformed into shelters for displaced persons. Families were preparing supplies that could not have to go out.

Many people who escaped have sought refuge in the crowd, knowing that there are no rebels in sight but have no choice.

When the city fell into the hands of M23, they hid where they could, many of them hungry, froze or seriously injured. Some slept on the street, others in hospitals.

Solange Safi Ndakwinja was trying to take care of her three daughters, who were seriously injured by a bomb that exploded on a military control point.

“I hope God will help us,” Mrs. Ndakwinja said. “For the rest, we don’t know what happens.”

Elian Peltier contributed to reporting from Dakar, Senegal, and Declan Walsh From Nairobi, Kenya.