New clashes force residents to flee homes in eastern DR Congo

KIGALI, Rwanda

Recent clashes between M23 rebels and the Congolese military, supported by pro-government militia (wazalendo), have led to mass displacement of residents in several localities in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a source said Friday.

The Congolese government and the M23 signed a recent peace framework agreement in Doha, brokered by Qatar.

But Thursday saw clashes in various areas of North Kivu province, including Kibati, in Walikale territory and Kinyumba, as well as in Nyabiondo in Masisi territory, residents told Anadolu.

The fighting erupted after government forces attacked rebel positions in Kinyumba, according to the residents.

The Congolese army used a fighter jet to shell rebel positions in Kibati in Walikale and Kasopo in Masisi, they said.

“One person was seriously injured following a bomb explosion in Kautu village, near Mahanga town. The victim was treated at a local health facility, but the problem remains the lack of medicines as the region's health facilities have been looted during the recent clashes between rebels and government forces,” said one resident who gave his name as Jean-Pierre.

Media reports said the rebels seized control of Mahanga in Masisi territory, following fighting this week.

Vianney Kitswamba, a security protection coordinator in Masisi, confirmed to reporters that the security situation remained extremely precarious in several villages in North Kivu Province.

Several districts remain deserted, he said. “Fearing for their safety, some families have fled their homes, yet they had just returned recently.”

Meanwhile, more than 22 people were reported brutally shot dead in Irhambi Katana in the Kabare territory in South Kivu province during the overnight hours of Nov. 23 to 24 in clashes between self-defense groups and the M23 rebels, the military confirmed.

The victims, between 20 and 40 years old, were allegedly accused of collaborating with the Wazalendo group.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege, in a post on American social media company X this week, said the “young men were first arrested, then executed by M23 elements.”

In addition, he said the Katana health center in Kabare territory was attacked by M23 elements, killing a patient and two nurses.

The UN, Kinshasa and others accuse neighboring Rwanda of supporting the M23, which Kigali denies.

The Congolese Ebuteli Research Institute revealed in a report this month that the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and M23 armed groups were among the most violent in October in Congo.

The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Congo (MONUSCO) said deadly attacks by the ADF in several localities in North Kivu province between Nov.13 and 19 killed at least 89 people.