Despite the threat, many Goma residents are unfazed.
"The war is there of course, but that doesn't prevent you from having a beer in the evening," said Alain Zoeto, a 35-year-old hairdresser, attending a concert held at a bar in the city.
"The government has a duty to protect us and we have this freedom," he added, over the sound of Congolese rumba classics.
Machozi Binego, who was dancing at the same bar with a group of friends, was similarly cheerful.
"The people of Goma are still alive," he said.
In recent weeks, the M23 rebels have seized swathes of territory across North Kivu province, displacing tens of thousands of people and pushing closer to Goma, a commercial hub of more than a million people.
Goma lies on the border with Rwanda. But tensions haven't stopped revelers packing the bars at night, with motorbike-taxis shuttling them around.
"I keep working because I know the M23 won't come to Goma," said Dani, a motorbike driver, near a popular watering hole.
Elsewhere in Goma, markets continue to do business, although consumers complain that prices are rising due to rebel-caused supply problems.
Many nonetheless have an eye out for trouble. Rumours of a rebel push sent people in a displaced persons' camp fleeing last week, for example.
And residents are alert to loud bangs in the night -- worrying they might be the opening salvo of an attack.
Over the weekend, football fans crowded the well-known Pili Pili bar to follow the World Cup opening match on the big screen.
"I'm not afraid, it's not the first time," said Amos, 19, referring to Goma's history of rebellions.
Over 120 armed groups are active across eastern Congo, many of which are a legacy of regional wars that flared at the turn of the century.
Goma was at the center of those wars, and has been subject to several rebel uprisings too.
Many have an eye out for trouble. Rumors of a rebel push sent people in a displaced persons' camp fleeing last week, for example.
And residents are alert to loud bangs in the night -- worrying they might be the opening salvo of an attack.
The largely DRC Tutsi M23 took up arms in late 2021 after years of dormancy, claiming the DRC had failed to honor a pledge to integrate its fighters into the army, among other grievances.
The fighting has sent relations between the DRC and Rwanda into a nosedive, with Kinshasa accusing its smaller neighbor of backing the M23 -- something UN experts and US officials have also said in recent months.
