ISTANBUL 

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Friday that one of its emergency team members was shot dead in the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern Goma city, which was captured by M23 rebels earlier this week after clashes.

“We are very sad to share that a colleague who was working with an MSF emergency team has been shot dead by a stray bullet,” said Natalia Torrent, the NGO's program manager in Goma.

She stressed the probability of “such unfortunate incidents” happening in the future, expressing sadness.

Although there are still conflicts in some places, the security situation is stabilizing, according to Torrent.

She highlighted that half of the 142 injured people, treated by health workers at the Kyeshero Hospital, are civilians, primarily women, while the other half are military personnel.

"Goma is the main supply hub. And right now, we have no mobility out of Goma, so we cannot take medical supplies or fuel to them,” Torrent added.

The medical charity earlier said the hospital in Goma was overwhelmed with the injured as the group’s staff treat them.

The M23 claimed control of Goma after clashes said to have killed more than 100 people, including 17 peacekeepers.

Congo and others accuse Rwanda of backing the rebels, an accusation Kigali denies.

Thousands have also been displaced, many of whom have fled to Rwanda, including staff of international organizations such as the UN and the World Bank.

The offensive is a major escalation in the DRC's troubled east. The M23, one of the armed groups vying for control in the mineral-rich region, re-emerged in 2022.​​​​​​​