Virunga Energies, the electricity company in North Kivu, in the city of Goma, has announced that it will not be able to supply electricity to Goma and Nyiragongo residents due to fighting that has damaged power lines in parts of Nyiragongo.
The city of Goma is still active despite the threat of water shortage, internet disruption, among others as clashes between the FARC Forces and AFC/ M23 approach closer to the heart of the city.
Our reporters say that currently Goma is reportedly under a blackout after being without internet for 18 hours, and residents continue to struggle to live normal life that requires use of the internet and tech-based gadgets.
Radio Okapi reported that M23 fighters are still holding out their positions in the areas of Sake and Mubambiro, 20 kilometers from the city of Goma, while fighting continues in Rusayo and the Kibati mountains in the territory of Nyiragongo.
In a security alert notice released January 23, 2025, the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa advised its citizens to depart to a safer location while airports and borders are still open. The embassy said it had also received reports of internet outages and increased presence of security checkpoints throughout Goma and near the border with Rwanda.
“Due to the uncertain security situation in North Kivu, there are no plans for U.S. government-coordinated assistance for U.S. citizens as travel to North Kivu is restricted for U.S. government personnel,” the US Embassy said.
Apparently borders between Rwanda and DR Congo remained open today despite the offensive witnessed yesterday leading to an influx of Congolese and foreign nationals fleeing to Rwanda.
This morning, more scenes of foreign nationals crossing from Goma, eastern DR Congo into the Rwandan border side of Gisenyi but truck drivers who transport goods to Goma have reportedly parked in Rwanda.
Normally the designated parking lot accommodates 140 trucks per day. However, as of this update there were already over 180 trucks stranded at the Rwanda-DR Congo border.
Primary Reporting by: Sylidio Sebuharara
