Congolese soldiers solemnly moved through the streets of downtown Goma – with white bands around their heads and their hands empty of guns.
They are battered from days of non-stop fighting and surrendering to the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels taking control of the regional capital and humanitarian hub.
Congolese soldiers laid down their fatigues on the road near the watch posts we saw them in just 24 hours before. The sounds of nearby shelling break the sombre mood.
The sense of capture is palpable. But some soldiers are still fighting.
There are pockets of resistance in streets across town and the sounds of automatic gunfire and shelling are almost constant.
Image: Congolese soldiers were seen moving through the streets of Goma after surrendering
Our hotel has become a shelter for some families waiting to see what happens next. As the hours of battle drag on, some are sleeping on couches in the lobby. The hotel staff watch the windows as the fight comes to the street in front of our gate.
“I am scared but hoping peace will prevail. I am concerned for my family because I haven’t seen them since yesterday. I have only been communicating with them over the phone,” says 27-year-old driver Bahati Jean Claude.
“I just want the conflict to end. I don’t care who is in charge of Goma, all I care about is peace.”
Peace is far from reality in Goma right now – at least 17 people have been killed and 370 injured. Prisoners who had been working to escape the central prison on Monday morning managed to break out by the afternoon. Looting was reported in the airport and other parts of town.
In a day of echoing blasts and the crack of bullets, the sounds started from a different direction. High-level security sources in town confirmed mortars and artillery coming from Rwanda as we heard the shift.
What is the fighting in Democratic Republic of Congo about – and is Rwanda invading?
Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) risks spilling over into a regional war, it is feared, as Rwanda-backed rebels claim to have captured the key city of Goma.
The leader of a rebel alliance that includes the M23 group said fighters have taken the city, after making significant territorial gains in recent weeks.
Hundreds of people are being wounded every day as fighting in the central African country continues, worsening the humanitarian crisis there.
We spoke to the Rwandan Defence Forces (RDF) spokesperson, who says they fired into eastern DRC in retaliation.
“Rockets were fired across the DRC/Rwanda border in Rubavu district, western province, and five civilians have lost their lives and 35 were seriously injured,” Brigadier-General Ronald Rwivanga tells us on a video call.
“They are currently undergoing medical treatment in the medical facilities nearby. We are just taking all necessary defensive measures to protect the population living along the border.
“And we will continue to play our role, our primary role of protecting the territory or integrity of Rwanda.”
Image: ‘We are just taking all necessary defensive measures,’ Brigadier-General Ronald Rwivanga said
Throughout the day, videos emerged of Congolese troops surrendering to Rwandan soldiers – wearing the white headbands we saw on those walking in the street in front of our hotel.
Brigadier-General Rwivanga denies the presence of Rwandan troops in DRC and arms support to M23 rebels.
A UN panel of experts reported, however, that around 3,000 to 5,000 Rwandan troops were in DRC as of last year.
On Sunday, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the RDF to stop supporting the M23 and “to withdraw from the territory of the DRC”.
Donald Trump has criticised Vladimir Putin and suggested a shift in his stance towards the Russian president after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the Pope’s funeral.
The Ukrainian president said the one-on-one talks could prove to be “historic” after pictures showed him sitting opposite Mr Trump, around two feet apart, in the large marble hall inside St Peter’s Basilica.
The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart’s willingness to end the war after leaving Rome after the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no reason” for the Russian president “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days”.
Image: The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”
The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face encounter since a very public row in the Oval Office in February.
Mr Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Mr Trump in which they talked about the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a durable and lasting peace that would prevent the war restarting.
Other images released by the Ukrainian president’s office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as “positive” by the French presidency.
Mr Zelenskyy‘s spokesman said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and he and Mr Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.
Image: The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Image: Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica
But the US president left Rome for Washington on Air Force One soon after the funeral without any other talks having taken place.
The Ukrainian president’s office said there was no second meeting in Rome because of the tight schedule of both leaders, although he had separate discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Macron.
The French president said in a post on X “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire” and that a so-called coalition of the willing, led by the UK and France, would continue working to achieve a lasting peace.
There was applause from some of the other world leaders in attendance at the Vatican when Mr Zelenskyy walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after stopping in front of the pontiff’s coffin to pay his respects.
Image: Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president met for the first time since their Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters
Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.
He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.
Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News the meeting is being called “Pope Francis’s miracle” by members of the clergy, adding: “There’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming.”
The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.
They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
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On an extraordinary day, remarkable pictures on the margins that capture what may be a turning point for the world.
In a corner of St Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, the leaders of America and Ukraine sit facing each other in two solitary chairs.
They look like confessor and sinner except we cannot tell which one is which.
In another, the Ukrainian president seems to be remonstrating with the US president. This is their first encounter since their infamous bust-up in the Oval Office.
Image: The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
Other pictures show the moment their French and British counterparts introduced the two men. There is a palpable sense of nervousness in the way the leaders engage.
We do not know what the two presidents said in their brief meeting.
But in the mind of the Ukrainian leader will be the knowledge President Trump has this week said America will reward Russia for its unprovoked brutal invasion of his country, under any peace deal.
Mr Trump has presented Ukraine and Russia with a proposal and ultimatum so one-sided it could have been written in the Kremlin.
Kyiv must surrender the land Russia has taken by force, Crimea forever, the rest at least for now. And it must submit to an act of extortion, a proposed deal that would hand over half its mineral wealth effectively to America.
Image: The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Afterwards, Zelenskyy said it had been a good meeting that could turn out to be historic “if we reach results together”.
They had talked, he said, about the defence of Ukraine, a full and unconditional ceasefire and a durable and lasting peace that will prevent a war restarting.
The Trump peace proposal includes only unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine from countries that do not include the US. It rules out any membership of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s allies are watching closely to see if Mr Trump will apply any pressure on Vladimir Putin, let alone punish him for recent bloody attacks on Ukraine.
Or will he simply walk away if the proposal fails, blaming Ukrainian intransigence, however outrageously, before moving onto a rapprochement with Moscow.
If he does, America’s role as guarantor of international security will be seen effectively as over.
This could be the week we see the world order as we have known it since the end of the Second World War buried, as well as a pope.