Congo Rebels Seize Key City of Goma

The army of the Democratic Republic of Congo has suffered a dramatic defeat. Rebels attacked and captured the city of Goma.

Goma lies on Congo’s eastern border, in the heart of a mineral rich area. The army’s collapse was sudden and unexpected.

The whole affair was witnessed by the BBC’s Gabriel Gatehouse.

“The government troops seem to have simply melted away,” says Gatehouse.

UN peacekeepers are in Goma in heavy numbers, but did nothing to stop the rebels entering the city. “They say they were ordered not to open fire in heavily built up areas,” says Gatehouse.

The UN forces did fight the rebels in previous days out in the countryside.