'PANIC SPREADS' AS BATTLE RAGES NEAR GOMA, DRC. (PHOTO)

 'Panic spreads' as battle rages near Goma, DRC

Panic is spreading in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's main city of Goma as M23 fighters steadily inch closer to Goma and seize a nearby town as they battle the Congolese army, the UN says.

Bombs were heard by locals going off in the city's distant outskirts, and hundreds of wounded civilians were brought into the main hospital from the area of the fighting.

Late on Thursday, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the bombardments suffered by civilians, AP reported.

“This offensive has a devastating toll on the civilian population and heightened the risk of a broader regional war,” UN Secretary General António Guterres said in a statement urging “all parties to uphold human rights and international humanitarian law.”

The rebel group has advanced significantly in recent weeks, closing in on Goma, which has around 2 million people and is a regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts.

On Thursday, the rebels took Sake, a town only 27 kilometres (16 miles) from Goma and one of the last main routes into the provincial capital still under government control, according to the U.N. chief.

M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo, along the border with Rwanda, in a decades-long conflict that has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

More than 7 million people have been displaced by the fighting. Earlier this month, M23 captured the towns of Minova, Katale, and Masisi, west of Goma.

“The people of Goma have suffered greatly, like other Congolese. M23 is on its way to liberate them, and they must prepare to welcome this liberation.” an M23 spokesperson, Lawrence Kanyuka, said on X.

U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing the M23, mainly composed of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army over a decade ago.

Rwanda’s government denies the claim but last year admitted that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a buildup of Congolese forces near the border.

U.N. experts estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.