The New York Times.
GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo — No visa is necessary to cross this
border anymore. Nor do red-eyed soldiers hang around reeking of
home-brew. Gone, too, are many of the quasi-government officials who
used to buzz around this border post harassing travelers and squeezing
out bribes, including one little man who claimed to be a health officer
and had “Doc” scribbled in Magic Marker on his coat.
Instead, the doorway to Goma, one of Congo’s largest and most strategic
cities, is now manned by lean, young rebels in crisp fatigues. They
captured this town on Tuesday, ridding it of an often sloppy and
menacing Congolese Army presence, and on Wednesday the rebels announced
at a triumphant rally that Goma was just the beginning.
“We’re going to Kinshasa!” vowed Col. Vianney Kazarama, a spokesman for the M23 rebel group.
Kinshasa, the capital, is nearly 1,000 miles away, but the rebels are
beginning to eat away at that distance, day by day. On Wednesday, rebel
forces met virtually no resistance as they swept into the strategic town
of Sake, down the road from Goma. Local militiamen have also pushed the
army out of other areas as more of this vast and complicated country
spins out of government control.
