Contemporary clashes between the military and M23 rebels have erupted in jap DR Congo, officers mentioned on Sunday, breaking a interval of relative calm between the 2 sides.
A largely Congolese Tutsi group, the M23 resumed combating late 2021 after mendacity dormant for years. It has since captured swathes of territory in North Kivu province, together with the strategic city of Bunagana on the Ugandan border in June.
The frontline between Congolese troops and M23 rebels had been calm in current weeks. However clashes erupted once more on Thursday, violence monitor Kivu Safety Tracker acknowledged on Saturday night.
“The scenario is gloomy right here,” mentioned village chief Celestin Nyamugira, explaining that M23 fighters had erected a barrier on the entrance to the settlement. “They got here from the forest and infiltrated town.”
One other officer, Lieutenant Colonel Ndjike Kaiko, mentioned the military was “containing” the rebels.
The M23 first leapt to prominence in 2012 when it briefly captured Goma earlier than a joint Congolese-UN offensive drove it out.
Regardless of official denials from Kigali, an unpublished report for the United Nations seen by AFP in August pointed to Rwandan involvement with the M23.
Medical officers from the area’s Rutshuru Hospital mentioned that 4 civilians had been killed on Friday and Saturday, with eight wounded.
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