On Tuesday, M23 through its political spokesperson, Lawrence Kanyuka released a statement announcing a ceasefire from all fronts to pave way for the political process to take place.
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Some of M23 rebels on duty
Fighting
between Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDR) soldiers,
militia coalition, and the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels in North Kivu
province has resumed.
On Tuesday, M23
through its political spokesperson, Lawrence Kanyuka released a statement
announcing a ceasefire from all fronts to pave way for the political process to
take place. According to the statement, the decision had been
reached in fulfillment of outcomes of consultations between M23 and João Manuel
Gonçalves Lourenço, President of Angola, and the decisions taken in different
regional summits held in Bujumbura, Nairobi, and Addis Ababa aimed at finding
peaceful solutions to ongoing conflicts in eastern DR Congo.
However, in
the evening, fighting erupted in Karuba along the Kiburizi-Rwindi roads and
Mabenga-Rwindi bridge road in the Chiefdom of Bahunde West of Sake in Masisi
territory.
Fighting was
also reported in the locality of Kabirizi, Rutshuru territory. Fighting
in Kabirizi forced civilians in areas of Kabanda, Kirima, Bwalanda, Kikuku,
Kyaghanda, and Birundule to flee to Kanyabayonga in Rubero territory.
On Wednesday,
fighting again resumed in Nkingo specifically at Ngingwe, a hill overlooking
the village Kirotshe-Kitumbili in Bahunde chiefdom, Masisi territory.
M23
spokesperson released a short statement accusing M23 and the militia coalition
of flouting the ceasefire and efforts of regional leaders and international
partners to find peace in eastern DR Congo.
“Kinshasa
government coalition forces attacked our forces in Kuriba and Nkingo this
morning at 06:18. Kinshasa government flouts efforts by regional leaders and
international partners to find peace in eastern DRC”, Kanyuka noted in the statement.
But,
Lieutenant Colonel Guillaume Ndjike Kaiko, the FARDC Spokesperson in charge of
North Kivu province also released a statement accusing M23 rebels of launching
multiple attacks on FARDC positions. Kaiko says that there is no
cease-fire when rebels are fighting.
Kakio
accuses M23 of firing several 120-millimeter mortar bombs at the city of Sake,
two of which were aimed precisely at the United Nations Organization
Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) base in
Mubambiro, two at the cantonment of the Burundian contingent recently deployed
in part of the East African Community Regional Force as well as four others in
the densely populated city surrounding Mubambiro.
Kaiko says that
the attack led to the death of three people, two of them on the spot and
another in hospital; seven people were seriously injured, six of whom are
currently admitted at the Ndosho Hospital and one at the Goma General Reference
Hospital.
Fighting
between M23 rebels and FARDC soldiers that started in March 2022 has left many
parts of Rutshuru, Masisi, and Nyiragongo territories including Uganda-DR Congo
in the hands of the rebels. Congo accuses Rwanda of backing the rebels, a
claim Rwanda and the rebels deny.
The rebels
claim to fight against bad leadership in DR Congo based on corruption,
xenophobia, and discrimination among other messes.
