March 18 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Burundian soldiers deployed this Saturday in various communities in the Congolese province of North Kivu to supervise the withdrawal of the March 23 Movement rebels, whose armed conflict against the Congolese army has left hundreds of thousands displaced in recent months.
Burundian forces are now in the communities of Mushaki, Matanda and Kirolirwe, in the Masisi territory, where they will also participate in the reopening of a new supply route and guarantee the free movement of aid and population, the Congolese news portal reports. updated.
Burundi has also deployed troops in the provincial capital, Goma, as well as in the city of Sake, some 30 kilometers away and also the destination of a good part of the 800,000 displaced by the fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The rebel group is made up mainly of Congolese Tutsis and operates mainly in the North Kivu province. Ceasefire efforts often end on deaf ears but the M23 occasionally vacates conquered territories to reinforce its presence elsewhere.
The Burundian deployment is part of the mission announced on February 4 by the member states of the East African Community in Ethiopia, for which Kenyan soldiers have also been deployed and the prompt arrival of 500 Angolan soldiers is expected.
