DR Congo | THE BLACK EXAMINER | Over the weekend in eastern DR Congo, violent clashes erupted between M23 rebels and pro-government soldiers, as well as various armed groups, causing heightened tensions in the strategically significant Masisi region, as reported by local sources on Sunday.
In recent times, M23 rebels and government-backed militias have engaged in conflict across the area, shattering a fragile ceasefire that had been in place for several months.
One local resident sought refuge in the parish, mentioning that M23 rebels had occupied Kitshanga since the previous day. Several wounded individuals were transported to the hospital, according to a health worker, who also shared their concerns about venturing outside.
A security source, requesting anonymity, revealed efforts to reclaim the town from the rebels and expressed the belief that the conflict would persist.
A spokesperson for an armed group self-identifying as “patriots” fighting against the rebels echoed the sentiment that the war was far from over. According to a security source, clashes were ongoing in the neighboring territory of Rutshuru.
Kitshanga, situated at a crucial crossroads in the Masisi region, approximately 80 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital Goma, has changed hands multiple times this year. The town, which had enjoyed a precarious six-month truce, witnessed renewed fighting three weeks ago.
The M23, backed by Rwanda and led by Tutsis, took control of Kitshanga in January, further expanding their territorial dominance. In early October, Kitshanga shifted from the oversight of an international force deployed by the East African Community, which patrolled a buffer zone between the armed groups, to local militia, and briefly to the M23 before being retaken.
On October 14, the army, claiming to observe a ceasefire ordered by a regional mediator, had organized a press trip to the town just a week before it once again fell under rebel control.
