110,000 people are stranded in eastern Congo as rebels are accused of forced return

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Rwanda-backed rebels controlling cities in eastern Congo have forcibly closed settlement camps, leading to the displacement of more than 110,000 people in recent days, the U.N. and locals said Tuesday.

The M23 rebels — the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups vying for control of Congo's mineral-rich east — captured Goma, the region's largest city in late January in a major escalation of the yearslong fighting with government forces. The rebels' advance into Goma has killed at least 2,000 people in and around the city, Congolese authorities have said.

M23 issued a 72-hour ultimatum to displaced people to leave settlement camps and return to their villages, the U.N.’s humanitarian aid coordination agency, OCHA, said in its briefing on Tuesday. It was the latest action taken by the rebels after they said their priority was to restart normal activities in the city.

Though the rebels later clarified that returns should be voluntary, OCHA said more than 110,000 displaced people have left such camps for distant villages that aid groups have warned are further afar from the reach of aid.

Associated Press journalists witnessed many displaced families in settlement camps in Goma dismantling makeshift shelters and packing up what was left of their belongings.

“I am surprised because we are asked to leave, yet I have nothing to give to the children,” said Sibomana Safari, who was leaving Bulengo displacement camp in the city. “We all (are) leaving without any help (and) I don’t know if we’re going to make it,” said Safari.

At least 500,000 people have been displaced in the region following the M23's advance, according to the Forum of International Non-Governmental Organisations. Goma was hosting close to a million displaced people before the escalation of fighting on Feb. 26.

“The situation is extremely worrying,” said Oonagh Curry, an emergency coordinator for French medical charity Doctors Without Borders, or MSF. “The current situation is very fluid. It is extremely important to keep in mind that a sudden movement of a population can worsen the humanitarian crisis that was already underway,” Curry added.

Kwimana Sifa, among those leaving the Bulengo displacement camp, said he had no place to go after his house was destroyed by a bomb.

“It is better to leave us here. Although we lack food, we have shelter here,” a distraught Sifa said. “What we want is just peace and nothing else."

Although the rebels declared a unilateral ceasefire last week, locals continue to report pockets of fighting between M23 and government forces as the rebels move towards South Kivu’s provincial capital of Bukavu.

The rebels on Tuesday threatened to act over killings it said were happening in Bukavu which is about 50 kilometers (31 miles) away from their reach.

“The situation in Bukavu is deteriorating dangerously. Our compatriots are continually being killed,” M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said on X. “If these crimes persist, we will take our responsibilities to eradicate the threat at its source and protect our people,” he added.

Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria.

Follow AP’s Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

A woman and her child displaced by the fighting between M23 rebels and government soldiers prepare to leave the camp following an instruction by M23 rebels in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

A man displaced by the fighting between M23 rebels and government soldiers prepares to leave the camp following an instruction by M23 rebels in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

A woman and her child who were displaced by the fighting between M23 rebels and government soldiers prepare to leave the camp following an instruction by M23 rebels in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

People who were displaced by the fighting between M23 rebels and government soldiers leave their camp following an instruction by M23 rebels in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

People who were displaced by the fighting between M23 rebels and government soldiers prepare to leave their camp following an instruction by M23 rebels in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

People who were displaced by the fighting between M23 rebels and government soldiers prepare to leave their camp following an instruction by M23 rebels in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

A child displaced by the fighting between M23 rebels and government soldiers prepare to leave the camp following an instruction by M23 rebels in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

A woman displaced by the fighting between M23 rebels and government soldiers leaves the camp following an instruction by M23 rebels in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

People who were displaced by the fighting between M23 rebels and government soldiers leave their camp following an instruction by M23 rebels in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

A child displaced by the fighting between M23 rebels and government soldiers holds a damaged helmet at the camp in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is meeting with oil executives at the White House on Friday in hopes of securing $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s ability to fully tap into its expansive reserves of petroleum — a plan that rides on their comfort in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.

Since the U.S. military raid to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has quickly pivoted to portraying the move as a newfound economic opportunity for the U.S., seizing tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, saying the U.S. is taking over the sales of 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned Venezuelan oil and will be controlling sales worldwide indefinitely.

On Friday, U.S. forces seized their fifth tanker over the past month that has been linked to Venezuelan oil. The action reflected the determination of the U.S. to fully control the exporting, refining and production of Venezuelan petroleum, a sign of the Trump administration's plans for ongoing involvement in the sector as it seeks commitments from private companies.

It's all part of a broader push by Trump to keep gasoline prices low. At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.

The meeting, set for 2:30 p.m. EST, will be open to the news media, according to an update to the president's daily schedule. “At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.

Trump is set to meet with executives from 17 oil companies, according to the White House. Among the companies attending are Chevron, which still operates in Venezuela, and ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, which both had oil projects in the country that were lost as part of a 2007 nationalization of private businesses under Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez.

The president is meeting with a wide swath of domestic and international companies with interests ranging from construction to the commodity markets. Other companies slated to be at the meeting include Halliburton, Valero, Marathon, Shell, Singapore-based Trafigura, Italy-based Eni and Spain-based Repsol.

Large U.S. oil companies have so far largely refrained from affirming investments in Venezuela as contracts and guarantees need to be in place. Trump has suggested on social media that America would help to backstop any investments.

Venezuela’s oil production has slumped below one million barrels a day. Part of Trump's challenge to turn that around will be to convince oil companies that his administration has a stable relationship with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez, as well as protections for companies entering the market.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are slated to attend the oil executives meeting, according to the White House.

Meanwhile, the United States and Venezuelan governments said Friday they were exploring the possibility of r estoring diplomatic relations between the two countries, and that a delegation from the Trump administration arrived to the South American nation on Friday.

The small team of U.S. diplomats and diplomatic security officials traveled to Venezuela to make a preliminary assessment about the potential re-opening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, the State Department said in a statement.

Trump also announced on Friday he’d meet with President Gustavo Petro in early February, but called on the Colombian leader to make quick progress on stemming flow of cocaine into the U.S.

Trump, following the ouster of Maduro, had made vague threats to take similar action against Petro. Trump abruptly changed his tone Wednesday about his Colombian counterpart after a friendly phone call in which he invited Petro to visit the White House.

President Donald Trump waves as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)