Rwanda-backed M23 rebels grabbed at least 130 sick and injured men from two hospitals in a big city in eastern Congo. The United Nations shared this news Monday about the February 28 events. Armed fighters entered CBCA Ndosho Hospital and Heal Africa Hospital, located in the city of Goma. They suspected these hospital patients might be Congolese army soldiers or members of groups fighting against them.
UN spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani described how upsetting it was that rebels snatched patients right out of their hospital beds during planned attacks. The kidnappers took 116 people from one medical center and 15 more from the other facility. Nobody knows where these patients went after rebels carried them away without letting them contact anyone else. Shamdasani asked for their immediate freedom.
These rebels have charged through eastern Congo since January this year, causing around 3,000 deaths as they captured key cities. They managed to seize control of Goma during a fast three-week attack before taking Bukavu, another major city. That region holds lots of gold and coltan - an important mineral used for making parts inside phones and laptops. Reports from United Nations experts say about 4,000 soldiers from neighboring Rwanda help these fighters.
Rwanda blames Congo for working with ethnic Hutu fighters who carried out terrible killings back in 1994. M23 leaders claim they fight to protect the Tutsi people and those with Rwandan backgrounds from being treated unfairly. They talk about wanting to change Congo from a broken country into a modern one. Many experts believe these reasons just cover up why Rwanda really sends its troops there. Explosions hit a gathering of rebel leaders in Bukavu last week, killing eleven people and hurting many more.
UN spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani described how upsetting it was that rebels snatched patients right out of their hospital beds during planned attacks. The kidnappers took 116 people from one medical center and 15 more from the other facility. Nobody knows where these patients went after rebels carried them away without letting them contact anyone else. Shamdasani asked for their immediate freedom.
These rebels have charged through eastern Congo since January this year, causing around 3,000 deaths as they captured key cities. They managed to seize control of Goma during a fast three-week attack before taking Bukavu, another major city. That region holds lots of gold and coltan - an important mineral used for making parts inside phones and laptops. Reports from United Nations experts say about 4,000 soldiers from neighboring Rwanda help these fighters.
Rwanda blames Congo for working with ethnic Hutu fighters who carried out terrible killings back in 1994. M23 leaders claim they fight to protect the Tutsi people and those with Rwandan backgrounds from being treated unfairly. They talk about wanting to change Congo from a broken country into a modern one. Many experts believe these reasons just cover up why Rwanda really sends its troops there. Explosions hit a gathering of rebel leaders in Bukavu last week, killing eleven people and hurting many more.
