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Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
World
RFI

Goma's residents reflect on life a year after DR Congo city fell to M23 rebels

An M23 pickup truck drives through Goma, capital of North Kivu province in eastern DRC, on 15 January 2026, nearly a year after the rebels took control of the city. © Glody Murhabazi / AFP

A year after the M23 armed group and its Rwandan allies seized Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the politico-military movement has stepped up measures to tighten its grip on the lakeside city. RFI spoke to residents about family loss, trying to adapt to daily life without a banking system and the struggle to build a life elsewhere.

One year after the attack by the AFC-M23 group and its Rwandan allies, no one can say for certain how many people were killed.

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