Randhir Jaiswal, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesman, said on Friday (Janaury 31, 2025) most Indian nationals living in violence-hit Goma in Congo have relocated to safer areas.
Supported by Rwandan troops, the M23 rebel organization has seized total control of all important Goma sites, including the airport; the Congolese military forces have given up, according to defense sources.
Demanding a peaceful settlement of the dispute, Mr. Jaiswal said, “We are keenly following the developments in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The worsening security scenario still worries us.
“Our Embassy in Kinshasa has issued Advisories for Indians living in the Goma area where the conflict has taken place,” Mr. Jaiswal added. “Goma boasts approximately 1,000 Indian citizens. Since the start of the fighting, most of them have relocated to safer areas. For their welfare and safety, the Embassy keeps constant communication with the community.
“Firing has stopped”
Defence sources claim that firing has halted in Goma and that all 1,200 Indian soldiers under the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) are entirely safe. “The situation in the area is relatively peaceful.” Unit deployment is not changed by this. One official stated that the UN mission is being followed exactly.
Regarding the changing circumstances in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mr. Jaiswal said the Indian forces routinely spoke with the UN.
Two sites, Goma and Sake, are occupied by Indian soldiers.
Established in 2010 to replace the previous MONUC, MONUSCO headquarters at Kinshasa There were 13,971 personnel as of October 2024; Bangladesh ranked top among the military supplying countries with almost 1,700 troops.
Over many villages outside of Goma, a population of two million, the M23 rebel group surged over in the previous few days; the fierce fighting has caused hundreds of thousands of civilians to leave.
