The fall of Goma and the M23/AFC advance on Bukavu, the human story.

While the Congolese government struggles to effectively coordinate an adequate response to the current crisis in the East, and while the international community makes empty declarations, the peacekeeping mission MONUSCO powerlessly "observing" and regional bodies like SADC and EAC organising emergency meetings which result in words on a piece of paper: people, human beings, with families and loved ones, perish and suffer. We wanted to tell their story.

Authors:

Adeline Mills , Conflict analyst, Geneva, (with research assistance from Nicolas Deriquehem )

Mo?se B., Researcher in Bukavu, South Kivu

Jean Claude Buuma Mishiki , Researcher in Goma (currently displaced to Bujumbura)

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Terror in Goma: Survivors Recount Days of Horror as City Falls

In late January 2025, the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Goma descended into chaos, leaving thousands dead and survivors haunted by memories of three days that transformed their city into a war zone.

"I thought it was a special gift from God when I saw the morning of Monday, January 27, because I no longer hoped that another morning would come," one of the co-authors remembered, describing what many called the longest night of their lives, as military gunfire echoed through the darkened streets of a city already stripped of electricity and water.

The horror of those days was perhaps most starkly illustrated at the Munzenze central prison, where a devastating fire broke out in the women's block around 11 PM. One escaped prisoner provided a chilling account: "Many of the women died because no one came to help them. We men saved about 16 women from a block where there were more than 150 women prisoners. Some prisoners who had children in the prison were burnt to death with their babies."

The tragedy extended to the city's most vulnerable. In local hospitals, newborns and premature babies died when bullets and shrapnel penetrated hospital walls. At the port of Goma, a particularly devastating scene unfolded, as described by the wife of a soldier who survived: "We were hoping that a boat would come and take us back to Bukavu. The soldiers who were there were exhausted, tired, starving and many were wounded. Suddenly the M23s started firing on us. I saw how many people were dying, we were crying, our husbands were shouting for forgiveness, putting their weapons in the air but to no avail." She lost both her children and her husband in the attack.

The scale of death overwhelmed the city's facilities. One man, searching for his daughter-in-law's body at the Goma general hospital morgue, was "stunned to see the number of bodies scattered around."

While the World Health Organization initially reported 700 deaths over the three-day period, local residents quickly contested this figure, suggesting the true toll exceeded 3,000. Many families were unable to properly bury or mourn their dead, breaking with deeply held African traditions.

In the aftermath, the city has fallen into a state of administrative vacuum. Neighborhoods have resorted to self-policing, with suspected thieves facing immediate vigilante justice. The release of prisoners during the chaos has added to the instability, with many former inmates reportedly acquiring abandoned military weapons.

For the residents of Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, the scars of those three days in January will remain long after the headlines fade. As one survivor noted, "The perpetrators of these crimes will never be punished."

M23 and it's political wing AFC, are setting up their own governance system as they did in the surrounding territories of which they have recently gained control. In Goma, they have appointed a new governor and vice-governors, territorial administrators for North Kivu and a mayor for Goma, positions that had been filled by the now defeated Congolese military and police officials, since the imposition of the Etat de Siege in May 2021. Needless to say, the Congolese population are no strangers to the ugly effects of impunity.

The impact of Goma's fall continues to reverberate across the region, with neighbouring Bukavu now experiencing an exodus of residents fearing similar violence, as M23 forces continue their advance through eastern Congo.

Fear Grips Bukavu

As M23 forces advance south, having already captured key localities including Minova, Kalungu, Nyamasasa, and Nyabibwe, the fear that gripped Goma has spread to Bukavu. The fall of Nyabibwe on February 5 triggered widespread panic, leading to a mass exodus from the city. While some residents head toward Kigali, the majority are fleeing to Burundi.

The impact on daily life has been immediate and severe. Schools and universities have temporarily closed their doors. Business activity has ground to a halt, with warehouses and shops shuttered as traders hurriedly store their goods at home. Families scramble to build food reserves as prices soar, and transportation costs have more than doubled, with the Bukavu-Uvira route jumping from $10 to $21.

"Everyone is hurrying to get back to their homes in time, fearing for their safety given the military build-up in Bukavu," reports a local source. Even government officials have joined the exodus, with many administrative staff fleeing to Bujumbura or Kigali. The president of the provincial assembly of South Kivu and several colleagues have reportedly taken refuge in the Burundian capital.

The city's remaining residents live in a state of constant tension, haunted by stories of the atrocities in Goma.

As Bukavu braces for what may come, the city remains under the protection of FARDC loyalist forces, the Congolese national police, and supporting Burundian army units. Meanwhile, local armed groups known as Wazalendo have pledged to fight alongside the FARDC, though internal disagreements about deployment and funding have complicated their integration into the city's defense.

Update: as of 15 February 2025, Bukavu has fallen. Now we wait... The inaction of the Congolese government, the regional allies and the international community is baffling.

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