Aug. 3 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) have taken control of four more towns in the Congolese province of North Kivu in the last few hours, after a series of clashes against militias allied to the government of the African country that have left around ten civilians dead, less than a day before the start of a ceasefire negotiated by the governments of the DRC and Rwanda without the participation of the rebel group.
The M23 warned on Thursday that its absence from the talks in Angola meant it was not necessarily bound by the terms of the agreement, explaining that it was still subscribing instead to a completely ineffective unilateral ceasefire declared in March by the guerrillas themselves.
Rwanda’s presence at the Angola talks is explained by the fact that the Rwandan government has been accused of financing the guerrilla movement, which claims to be the defender of the rights of Congolese Tutsis who fled to the country during the Rwandan genocide in the 1990s. Kigali has denied these accusations but is nevertheless seen as an influential player in the group.
Amid this uncertainty, local media outlet Kivu Morning Post reported that M23 has in recent hours taken control of four villages in Rutshuru territory in North Kivu: Kiseguro, Nyabanira, Katwiguru and Nyajahanga, citing local sources on condition of anonymity.
The Congolese army has not commented on the hostilities, which have also been confirmed by sources from the UN radio station in the African country, Radio Okapi. Local sources have informed the station that the hostilities have so far resulted in a dozen dead and several wounded among the civilian population, who have been taken to the hospital in Nyamilima for treatment.
The gains came after intense fighting between the M23 and youth self-defence militias close to the Congolese government, the Wazalendo, whom the guerrilla movement has accused of repeatedly violating the unilateral ceasefire of March.
As is usual in the province, the fighting has led to an exodus of the civilian population, who are heading to the town of Kiwanja, on the border between the DRC and Uganda. In fact, hundreds of civilians are hoping to cross the border into the neighbouring country, local sources told the Kivu Morning Post.
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