The city of Bukavu in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo held funerals on Tuesday for victims of two deadly explosions that followed a gathering of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group.
The blasts, which occurred on February 27, have now claimed 17 lives, according to Dunia Masumbuko Bwenge, the M23-appointed vice governor of South Kivu province.
Initially, officials reported 13 deaths, with 11 people killed instantly and two others succumbing to their injuries in hospital. However, Bwenge confirmed that more victims have since died.
“In total, there have been 17 deaths. On the spot, we had recorded 11 deaths, but others have died,” he told AFP during Tuesday’s funerals.
“Today, we are burying 12 people, because some bodies have already been buried and others are still in the hospital,” he added.
The cause of the explosions remains unknown. The blasts occurred just 11 days after M23 rebels seized control of Bukavu in a swift offensive, deepening tensions in the conflict-ridden region.
The funerals in Bukavu were marked by grief as families gathered to bid farewell to their loved ones. Twelve polished wooden coffins were lined up at the provincial hospital, each accompanied by a small wooden cross bearing the victim’s name, birthdate, and place of death.
In front of some coffins, photographs of the deceased were displayed. One image, enclosed in a clear plastic envelope, showed a young man named Ushindi Baradosa, 26, with short hair and a neatly trimmed goatee. Below his portrait, the words “rest in peace” were inscribed.
Mourners stood in solemn silence, some sobbing quietly. A grieving woman sat on the ground, comforted by two others, while a young woman nearby stood in prayer, eyes closed and palms raised toward the sky.
A priest blessed each coffin before families carried them to their final resting place in the cemetery.
The explosions add to the mounting instability in the region, where M23 rebels have expanded their territorial control since re-emerging in 2021.
In January, the group captured Goma, the main city in North Kivu, before advancing into Bukavu.
Authorities have yet to determine who was behind the blasts, but the tragedy has intensified fears of further violence in an area already gripped by conflict.
