In eastern DRC, M23 rebels and pro-government armed groups have clashed again over the past two days. According to the spokesperson for the Congolese army in North Kivu, a soldier from the regional EAC force died due to mortar fire in Kibumba. On Tuesday, the clashes intensified and moved closer to the large city of Goma.
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With our correspondent in Goma, Coralie Pierret
The fights began at dawn this Tuesday, according to several local and security sources, in Kibumba, a locality located about twenty kilometers north of Goma, the capital of North Kivu.
Officially, these clashes took place between rebels from M23 and pro-government groups. But did the army, which says it respects the ceasefire, take part in the fighting alongside the militias, called the patriots? In a press release from the governorate in North Kivu, the FARDC plays with ambiguity and affirms that after the attack on one of their positions, “ arrangements have been made to respond to all eventualities “.
The day before, Monday October 23, the Congolese authorities accused the M23 rebels of having killed several dozen civilians near the Tongo grouping. What the M23 refutes.
The government also released drone footage showing a new column of the Rwandan army present in DRC in North Kivu. As a reminder, Kigali is accused by Kinshasa and the United Nations of supporting the M23 insurgents.