It's been a month since rebels seized an eastern Congo city. Goma residents say they are struggling

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Rwanda-backed rebels captured a key eastern Congo city a month ago Friday. Residents in Goma, which was once a critical trade and humanitarian hub, say they are struggling on various fronts even as the rebels try to consolidate their administration and restart normal life.

On the streets of Goma, which is close to the border with Rwanda, economic activities have largely slowed down since the M23 rebels took over on Jan. 28. Banks are still shut, basic services such as trade are slowly restarting and thousands displaced by the conflict are desperate for aid and temporary shelters.

“Finding food has become a real challenge,” said Jeannette Safari, her face marked by exhaustion and fear.

The 26-year-old mother of one is now making plans to flee to Burundi. Safari had been working as a civil servant, but with government offices still not running, making ends meet has been a struggle for thousands of government workers like her living where the M23 controls, she said.

“Life is cheaper there (in Burundi), and even though I don’t know exactly how I’ll manage, I’ll make do,” she said.

The city and its environs had hosted more than 500,000 displaced people in addition to its population of 2 million, before the M23 rebels seized it last month in a major escalation of their yearslong fighting with government forces in the central African nation.

With the support of around 4,000 troops from Rwanda, the rebels fought off overstretched and outnumbered Congolese forces — many of whom surrendered — and started to gain more territories, taking Bukavu, a second major city in the region. The expansion is unprecedented, unlike in 2012 when M23 captured Goma for days, and has raised the risks of regional warfare, analysts say.

Although the rebels have agreed to talks that neighbors have pushed for, Congo's government accuses them of carrying out human rights abuses and using their campaign to advance the interests of Rwanda.

The rebellion has meant that the devastated city, which used to be a key trade route, has struggled economically as schools and other social services haven't returned to normal levels.

The M23 has tried to strengthen their grip on the city, pushing for social services like electricity and water supplies to return. But life is still far from normal, locals say, many of them living in fear and uncertainty about what could happen next.

Roads that were once bustling with heavy traffic and shopping outlets are often deserted and heavily militarized with armed rebels at every corner.

As the M23 advanced towards Goma in January, the number of residents fleeing to safety sharply grew from hundreds to thousands. By the time the city had fallen to the rebellion, hundreds of thousands of people who were already displaced by the conflict had fled once again, the U.N. said.

Despite M23’s promises to restart economic activities, commercial banks haven't resumed operations as the local branch of the Central Bank of Congo remains closed down.

The bank closures have led to concerns that the rebels could seek alternative banking systems independent of the Congolese government’s control, a major setback to regional efforts to get them to withdraw from the city.

“The only solution to this crisis would be a rigorous management of available resources and the establishment of alternative financial structures such as microfinance institutions,” said Deo Bengehya, a Goma-based professor of economic sciences.

The prolonged suspension of banking activities could further weaken the local economy and squeeze the population, which is already struggling with job losses and price hikes, he added.

Residents, meanwhile, continue to flee from Goma to other neighboring countries and towards the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away.

At the main border crossing between Congo and Rwanda, the numbers of refugees trying to cross over to Rwanda continue to grow as hundreds attempt to obtain the “CEPGL” pass that facilitates free movement within the Great Lakes region.

Kasereke Syausza, owner of an electronics store in Goma, said that he's also contemplating leaving the city because he's unable to withdraw cash for his business.

“I’m considering moving to Kinshasa, but I risk being arrested simply because I come from the east,” he said.

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Chinedu Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria.