Scars of war remain achingly raw in Goma, eastern DR Congo

Once a bustling border hub nestled beneath the imposing silhouette of Mount Nyiragongo, the city of Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has now fallen under a tense and uneasy calm.

More than three months after the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group seized control, daily life remains deeply disrupted, and peace continues to elude the region.

On Jan. 27, M23 fighters advanced into Goma and declared control over the city, marking a pivotal moment in a conflict that has buffeted the eastern Congo for decades. For many of Goma's more than two million residents, the takeover echoed the traumatic events of 2012, when the city briefly fell to the same rebel group.

Heavy fighting turned Goma into a war zone. Shells pounded residential neighborhoods, and battles engulfed the airport, radio stations, and border posts. According to the DRC government, the assault killed more than 8,500 people, injuring nearly 5,600. Displacement camps were also hit, with eyewitnesses reporting the deaths of pregnant women and newborns under shellfire.

M23 fighters declared a "humanitarian ceasefire" on Feb. 4, but violence has continued across North and South Kivu provinces. The group later captured Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, and now maintains a network of frontline positions throughout the region.

Analysts warn that this phase of the conflict could prove more entrenched than previous ones. Corneille Nangaa, the country's former electoral chief and now leader of the Congo River Alliance, the M23's political wing, has publicly vowed to "liberate the entire country," including the capital, Kinshasa.

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After Goma's fall, the city entered a grim silence. The gunfire stopped, but disorder and repression quickly took root. Once-bustling commercial districts now sit deserted. The banking system has all but collapsed, with cash shortages crippling daily transactions. Crime has surged, particularly at night. With government institutions absent, the M23 has erected checkpoints and imposed taxes and road tolls.

The humanitarian toll has been severe. The International Organization for Migration estimates that more than 1.2 million people have been newly displaced in the two Kivu provinces since January. Many who had sought refuge in Goma were forced to flee once again.

In early February, the M23 issued a 72-hour ultimatum, demanding the evacuation of all major displacement camps, including Bulengo and Lushagala, west of Goma. The camps emptied almost overnight. Families left on foot with whatever they could carry. 

But home offered no refuge: many found their villages reduced to rubble, their land scorched, and roads impassable.

About 27 kilometers west of Goma lies the town of Sake, long considered the city's final defensive line. Since late 2023, Sake has been the scene of intense battles between the M23 and Congolese forces, backed by local militias. Street-by-street fighting left the town in ruins.

Even today, danger still lurks. In nearby banana fields, unexploded ordnance remains scattered. "We've found live shells in over ten locations," said Christian Kabuya, a local resident. "Several people, including children, have died from accidental explosions."

In western Goma, Ndosho Hospital, the only remaining facility still receiving wounded patients, is overwhelmed. Supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), it operates under constant strain.

"The situation here is uniquely complex," said Taoffic Mohamed Toure, an ICRC veteran with experience in multiple conflict zones. "The sheer number of actors and the recurring violence make eastern Congo one of the most challenging places we operate."

As diplomatic efforts stall and ceasefires unravel, the people of the eastern DRC continue to live in the shadow of conflict. 

In Goma, where the lava of Nyiragongo once cooled into black rock, the scars of war have yet to fade.