Fighting breaks out in eastern DR Congo after two-day lull

By : AFP

Date: 11 February 2025 2:24pm WAT

An M23 soldier stands on a pick up truck as residents gather at the gates of the Stade de l'Unite'(Unity Stadium) in Goma on February 6, 2025 ahead of a schduled meeting called by the armed group. The M23 armed group and allied Rwandan forces launched a new offensive on Wednesday in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, days before the Rwandan and Congolese presidents are due to attend a crisis summit. The United Nations meanwhile said the battle for the key city of Goma, which the M23 and Rwandan troops seized last week, had left at least 2,900 people dead -- far higher than the previous death toll of 900. (Photo by Alexis Huguet / AFP)

Fighting erupted Tuesday in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after a two-day lull, with Rwanda-backed M23 fighters attacking positions of the Congolese armed forces in South Kivu province at dawn, local and security sources told AFP.

East and southern African leaders at a summit on Saturday called for an “immediate and unconditional” ceasefire within five days, fearing the conflict, which has killed thousands and driven vast numbers from their homes, would spill over into neighbouring countries.

The M23 has in recent months swiftly seized tracts of territory in mineral-rich east DRC after again taking up arms in late 2021.

Clashes were taking place Tuesday near the locality of Ihusi, around 70 kilometres (43 miles) from the provincial capital Bukavu and 40 kilometres from the province’s airport, according to security sources.

Local sources reported “detonations of heavy weapons”.

Congolese army reinforcements are moving towards the town of Kavumu, where the airport is located and which also hosts the army’s main military base in the region, according to security sources.

Bukavu has been preparing for an M23 offensive for several days, with schools shuttering in the city Friday as residents began to flee and shops closed over fears of an imminent attack.

The M23, which claims to protect ethnic Tutsis, began advancing in South Kivu after late last month taking control of Goma, the capital of neighbouring North Kivu province that borders Rwanda.

The anti-governmental group has begun setting up its own administration in Goma, a city of one million people, launching recruitment campaigns, including to create a police force.