Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, announced that at least 700 people have been killed and 2,800 injured in clashes between the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group and the army in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, since Sunday.
Dujarric said that the numbers were based on an assessment by the World Health Organization and its partners and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo between Sunday and Thursday and that the death toll was likely to rise.
While the Tutsi-based M23 claims that they are fighting for minority rights, the Democratic Republic of Congo government says that the Rwandan-backed rebels are trying to take control of the country’s vast mineral wealth in the eastern region.
