By Godfrey Olukya 21-11-2012
Congolese in most parts of the country have been angered by the fall of Goma city to M23 rebels..
Goma is the commercial capital of eastern Democratic republic of Congo.
Yesterday, M23 rebels overran Goma city where government troops put little resistance to stop them from seizing it. The government troops reportedly fled on seeing the rebels.
The rebels later walked in the streets of the city celebrating the capture of the city. There are reports indicating that some shops were looted by the rebels.
The fall of Goma has been met with violent protests in other Congolese cities of Kisangani and Kinshasa.
‘Hundreds of people went on the streets protesting against the rebel’s capturing of Goma city’ said police officer Mina Mboka. ‘Some of them carried placards demanding the government to explain why government troops in Goma fled instead of defending the city.’
Some congolese reportedly attempted to force themselves into the embassies of Uganda and Rwanda in Kinshasa but were stopped by police. Democratic republic of Congo has always maintained that the two countries support the rebels.
M23 rebels claim that they are fighting the government because of their being marginalized.However,some analysts believe that the battle is over the minerals in the area.
It is reported that the rebels are now marching to another key town of Bukavu.
Democratic republic of Congo’s president Joseph Kabila ,on learning that Goma had fallen to rebels, rushed to Uganda to hold talks with president Museveni who is regarded as a peace maker in the region.
