M23 fighters resume attacks in DR Congo after two-day pause

Fighters proceed advancing connected South Kivu state contempt ceasefire calls from determination leaders.

The M23 rebels person resumed attacks connected equipped forces successful eastbound Democratic Republic of Congo aft a two-day lull successful fighting.

Rebel fighters struck astatine dawn connected Tuesday adjacent the colony of Ihusi, located 40km (25 miles) from a strategical subject airdrome successful Kavumu and astir 70km (43 miles) from Bukavu, the superior of South Kivu province.

The M23, which claims to support taste Tutsis, started advancing connected South Kivu aft taking power of North Kivu’s Goma successful a bloody raid that killed thousands past month, resuming hostilities contempt calls from 24 regional leaders for an contiguous ceasefire.

Bukavu has been preparing for an M23 violative for respective days, shuttering schools connected Friday arsenic residents began to fly and shops closed implicit fears of an imminent attack.

Al Jazeera’s Malcolm Webb, who was reporting from Nairobi successful Kenya, said “anxious” residents of Bukavu were waiting to find retired if “M23 and its Rwandan supporters” would win successful advancing connected Bukavu.

Meanwhile, radical fleeing a displacement campy located westbound of North Kivu’s capital, Goma, claimed an M23 colonel had entered the tract connected Sunday and ordered them to permission wrong 3 days.

The M23 released a connection connected Monday denying those accusations, saying that radical were voluntarily leaving the Bulengo camp, returning to what it called their “now-secured homes successful liberated areas”.

Many radical person been surviving for up to 2 years successful the “swelling camp” and did not cognize if they had homes to which they could return, Webb added. “Most of them look present to beryllium packing up and opening the journey. Some others person said they volition hold and spot if and erstwhile they are forced to leave,” helium said.

Displaced radical astatine the Bulengo displaced persons camp, adjacent Goma, North-Kivu province, successful January 2025 [Jospin Mwisha/AFP]

On Saturday, 24 East and Southern African leaders called for an “immediate and unconditional” ceasefire successful DRC wrong 5 days, fearing the struggle would spill implicit into neighbouring countries.

The UN says struggle has forced 6.7 cardinal radical from their homes wrong the country, astir from North and South Kivu provinces wherever unit and insecurity person accrued since 2021, with the resurgence of the M23 rebels.

The latest unit has forced much than 500,000 from their homes since the opening of the year, placing overcrowded and under-resourced displacement camps nether utmost pressure.

The UN estimated earlier this period that clashes betwixt the M23 and Congolese forces successful Goma had near astir 3,000 dead.

CODECO attack

Elsewhere successful DRC, fighters from the CODECO equipped group, 1 of a myriad of groups warring implicit onshore and resources successful the east, killed astatine slightest 35 civilians successful an onslaught connected the Djaiba radical of villages successful the Djugu territory of Ituri province.

Jean Vianney, caput of the radical of villages, said the attacks started astatine 8pm connected Monday, with galore radical “burnt to decease successful their homes”.

Webb said immoderate officials successful the country were reporting that arsenic galore arsenic 50 whitethorn person been killed, including children. The equipped radical dominates a conception of Ituri province, controlling galore of the golden mines, helium said.

The UN has successful the past accused CODECO of attacks against different communities, including Hema herders, that could represent warfare crimes and crimes against humanity. The bulk of residents successful Djugu territory are Hema.

Source

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies