Clashes on Sunday between M23 rebels and government-aligned militias in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo ended a fragile truce that had lasted several weeks, injuring 14 civilians, local sources reported.
Residents in the troubled North Kivu region informed AFP that fighting erupted at 5:00 am (0300 GMT) between heavily armed M23 rebels and “Wazalendo” militias. Health officials reported that among the wounded were two teenagers.
A ceasefire between the DRC army and Rwanda-backed M23 had been in effect since early August, following mediation by Angola. Peace talks between Kinshasa and Kigali had stalled but are scheduled to resume in Luanda next weekend.
Kigali views the presence of the Rwandan Hutu extremist group, FDLR, in eastern DRC as a threat to its borders. Since launching an offensive in late 2021, the largely Tutsi M23 militia has taken control of significant territory in eastern DRC.
This mineral-rich region has been plagued by a variety of rival rebel groups and violence for the past three decades, and the resurgence of M23 has led to a humanitarian crisis, especially in North Kivu.