Residents in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, have rushed to bury some 2,000 victims of last week’s intense battles, fearing the spread of disease as a fragile ceasefire holds. The ceasefire, declared by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels on Monday, has largely been observed, although sporadic reports of shooting and looting surfaced on Tuesday.
The city, heavily scarred by bombings, now faces the grim task of burying the dead. More than 2,000 bodies were reported to be awaiting burial, with morgues overflowing and the risk of disease spreading. The DRC’s communications minister confirmed the alarming number of victims late on Monday night.
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The United Nations reports at least 900 people killed and nearly 3,000 injured in the days of fighting leading to Goma’s capture. The scale of civilian harm continues to emerge, with hospitals overwhelmed and bodies left in the streets.
With days of power cuts last week disrupting morgue refrigeration, the International Committee of the Red Cross has warned of a “race against time” to identify the dead. Goma’s limited land for burial sites is further complicating the already dire situation.
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