Officials said on Sunday that new battles between the army and M23 rebels had broken out in eastern DR Congo, ending a period of comparatively peaceful relations between the two sides.
The M23, a predominantly Congolese Tutsi organisation, started fighting again in late 2021 after a protracted hiatus. Since then, it has seized large portions of the North Kivu province, including the important border town of Bunagana in June.
Regional ties in central Africa have become unstable as a result of the group’s rebirth, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo accusing its smaller neighbor Rwanda of supporting the militia.
The frontline between M23 insurgents and Congolese troops had been quiet lately. However, violence watchdog Kivu Security Tracker reported on Saturday night that hostilities started up again on Thursday.
The settlement of Ntamugenga, a crucial location near the highway leaving the province capital Goma, was reportedly taken over by M23 forces on Sunday, according to army officials and locals.
“The situation is gloomy here,” said village chief Celestin Nyamugira. “They came from the forest and infiltrated the city.”
Colonel Mavinga Serge of the Congo told newsmen that the village had been taken, but added that forces were “close door.”
The M23 first gained notoriety in 2012 when it briefly took control of Goma before being driven out by a joint Congolese-UN offensive.
The militia is one of dozens of armed organisations that prowl the eastern DRC, many of which are the leftovers of two regional wars that broke out in the late 20th century.
An unreleased United Nations study in August that suggested Rwandan participation with the M23 despite official denials from Kigali.
Uncertainty surrounds the official death toll from the most recent fighting. According to Kivu Security Tracker, at least two civilians have died and 12 have been injured.
According to medical staff at the Rutshuru Hospital in the area, four civilians died and eight were injured on Friday and Saturday.
