A physician: "It seems that M23 have entered" Goma

Mortar shelling from Rwanda on the perimeter of Goma airport erupted

this afternoon, hours after M23 issued a fake 24-hour ultimatum to the

Congolese government to negotiate with them and minutes after they

claimed to be retreating to their positions at Kibumba, 30 km north of

the North Kivu provincial capital.



LuAnne of the Virunga National Park filed post from Goma on the Park's

blog at 20:08 (GMT + 1) that reads:



"At around 3:00 this afternoon, tank and

mortar fire could be heard in the city of

Goma as fighting erupted again following a complete breakdown of negotiations

between the rebel group M23 and the

Congolese government. Even across the

border in the town of Gisenyi, the sound

of mortars and gunfire could be heard

clearly.



"Rangers at the Kibati patrol post (the start of climbs up Nyiragongo

volcano) had to be evacuated to Goma as fighting swept south toward

them. Not soon after, M23 rebels moved even further south to the town

of Munigi on the outskirts of Goma.



"Now, even Munigi is behind the front

lines. No one expected the battle would

take place inside the city of Goma, but

this has become a reality. For the rangers

and their families that were evacuated to

Goma, and the staff whose families live in

Goma, now there is really no safe place to

go. Unlike us expats, they can't simply

pop across the border to safety."



Well, I don't know where LuAnne got the part about thec"breakdown of

negotiations between the rebel group M23" as there were no

negotiations to begin with.



Anyway, a medical source I spoke to at 20:35 tells me that wild

gunshot reports are being heard throughout the city.



"It seems that M23 have entered the city!" the physician told me.