Fighting between the Congolese army supported by local armed groups and the M23 rebels supported by Rwanda took place on Friday, June 28, 2024 in the city of Kanyabayonga, in North Kivu. Explosions were heard throughout the day in this town, a key city on the northern front of the conflict.
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With our correspondent in Goma, Heir Baraka
The situation remained confusing all day in Kanyabayonga. According to security sources, Rwandan-backed M23 rebels attacked positions of the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) in the morning, prompting a response from the Congolese army supported by local armed groups. At least two civilians were killed and five others injured by shelling in the area, according to medical sources.
According to civil society, the rebels managed to take the town of Miriki Kimaka, thus entering Lubero territory. In the evening, M23 fighters were seen in the outlying neighborhoods of Kanyabayonga.
Last lock before Butembo and Beni
Colonel Mak Hazukay, spokesman for the Congolese army, indicated that fighting was still ongoing, without giving further details. These clashes caused a new influx of displaced people, according to the military administrator of the Lubero territory, Colonel Alain Kiwewa.
Kanyabayonga, a town of more than 60,000 inhabitants, is considered the last barrier to reach the towns of Butembo and Béni in the north, the commercial heart of the region.
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