GOMA, Congo — A military official said that the M23 rebels have left Congo’s eastern provincial capital less than two weeks after they took the city of Goma.
Ugandan Brig. Jeffrey Muheesi, who is part of a mission sent by regional leaders to oversee the rebel retreat, said Saturday the pullout from Goma was complete. He spoke from the outskirts of the city.
Muheesi said government police were now controlling the bank, governor’s office and the border post.
M23 rebels, believed to be backed by Rwanda, took the capital of North Kivu on Nov. 20, after battling the Congolese army for nearly a day. They had defied two earlier ultimatums to leave the city, set by a group of nations bordering Congo.
Trucks full of M23 soldiers started driving out of the city this morning.