An escalation in fighting between rebels and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) armed forces resulted in the severing of main power lines to the city of Goma, rendering hospitals and water systems powerless. The electricity provider to the region, Virunga Energies, disclosed in a statement that the power cuts were spawned out of the clashes between the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) and a rebel militia known as the March 23 Movement (M23).
M23 comprises a fragment of soldiers allegedly backed by Rwanda according to a Human Rights Watch report from earlier this year. The group allegedly carries the burden of direct responsibility for unlawful killings, rapes, and other apparent war crimes since late 2022.
Encounters between the FARDC and M23 have intensified in recent months, edging closer to Goma, a metropolis home to more than 2 million individuals. The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) responded by announcing a joint operation with FARDC to halt the advacing troops, thereby protecting Goma and the nearby town of Saké.
Virunga Energies elaborated in their statement, highlighting that the town’s pumping systems, public lighting, and hospital power were among the infrastructures negatively affected by the power outage. They warned that this could lead to a loss of life. Since the statement, Virunga has managed a temporary restoration of one of the damaged power lines, although the repairs are tentative at best.
Originally reported by Jurist
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