Media reported the message, published on social media, in which the M23 stated that Goma, with about two million inhabitants, is under its control, and called on the population to remain calm.
The statement, shared by BBC and the Africa News website among others, claims that the capture took place within the 48-hour deadline given to the armed forces of the DRC to surrender, and adds that all military personnel must put down weapons to the United Nations peacekeepers.
The M23 also announced the concentration of military forces and the suspension of activities on Lake Kivu until further notice.
President Felix Tshisekedi chaired a crisis meeting on Sunday to assess the security situation in the region, during which he stated that the priority was to protect the population, and condemned the M23 bombings, supported by Rwanda, on camps for displaced persons.
During an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Sunday, Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner denounced the arrival of new Rwandan troops on Congolese territory.
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