KINSHASA, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Saturday condemned the killing of 52 civilians during the night of Friday to Saturday in the eastern city of Goma, allegedly carried out by rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23).

In an official statement signed by Vice Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Jacquemain Shabani, the DRC government accused the M23 of committing serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the country's eastern region.

Violent clashes reportedly broke out Friday night in the western part of Goma, the capital of the eastern North Kivu province, according to multiple local sources.

Eyewitnesses from the Keshero and Lac-Vert neighborhoods of the city told Xinhua that heavy gunfire and shelling began around 10:00 p.m. (2000 GMT) local time on Friday, causing widespread panic among residents. A relative calm was observed on Saturday morning.

According to several local media outlets, the fighting pitted M23 rebels, who have controlled Goma since January, against armed elements affiliated with the Wazalendo self-defense militias and the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC).

In a statement broadcast by the Goma branch of the Congolese National Radio and Television, M23 rebels accused the FARDC-Wazalendo coalition of launching coordinated attacks on several of their positions overnight.

Since seizing control of Goma at the end of January this year, M23 has reportedly established its own administrative structures in the city, while clashes continue in other strategic areas of North Kivu.

According to the United Nations, around 1 million people, including some 400,000 children, have been displaced in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces since late January 2025 due to the intensifying conflict between the FARDC and various armed groups. Enditem

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