Goma, Jan 25 (IANS): Violent clashes have been raging since Friday morning between the government troops and the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels in the town of Sake and its surroundings in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Loud explosions from hostilities between the DRC military and the M23 have been heard around Sake, a strategically important town regarded as the last barrier to Goma, the capital city of the North Kivu province, Xinhua news agency reported.
A widespread sense of panic has gripped displaced residents in Goma and the surrounding neighbourhoods amid ongoing shelling by the M23. Several foreign embassies have issued alerts, advising their citizens to leave North Kivu while airports and borders remain operational.
Guillaume Njike Kaiko, spokesperson for the DRC military in North Kivu, said on Friday that the fighting to liberate Sake, now occupied by the M23, is still underway.
"We have already halted the enemy's advance toward Goma, and at this moment, we urge the population to remain calm because our armed forces are fully engaged on the front lines against the enemy. We assure you that the army will restore order on the ground," he told Xinhua over the phone.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed alarm over the resumption of hostilities by the M23. According to a statement issued by his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric on Thursday, Guterres condemned M23's renewed offensive since the beginning of this year and its expansion into North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, including the recent capture of Sake, which has heightened the threat to Goma.
As the offensive has caused devastating losses among the civilian population and increased the risk of a broader regional war, Guterres called on the M23 to immediately cease its offensive, withdraw from all occupied areas, and respect the ceasefire agreement implemented last August.
The ongoing conflict has worsened the humanitarian situation in the region, displacing over seven million people. About 237,000 people have been forced to flee their homes since the beginning of 2025, according to the United Nations.