11 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The area around the town of Bashali Mokoto, located in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has been the scene of fighting in recent hours between the rebel group March 23 Movement (M23) and a pro-government militia, despite the two-week humanitarian truce in force for nearly seven days in the area.
Security sources quoted by Congolese radio station Radio Okapi said that the M23 had launched an offensive against the town of Nyange, located in North Kivu province, driving out the armed group Alliance of Congolese Nationalists for the Defence of Human Rights (ANCDH) from the area.
They said the rebels had taken control of the town and added that clashes had also been reported near Bibwe, but the DRC army and the M23 have not yet commented on these incidents, which would represent the first violation of the humanitarian truce.
The truce was announced by the United States on July 4 after months of fighting between the Congolese army and its allied militias and the Kigali-backed M23, which has forced 6.9 million people to flee their homes since October 2023, according to United Nations data. The truce is scheduled to remain in effect until July 19.
The M23 is a rebel group made up mainly of Congolese Tutsis and operates mainly in North Kivu province. Following a conflict between the DRC and the group from 2012 to 2013, a peace agreement was signed in December between the DRC and the group. In these clashes, the Congolese army was supported by United Nations troops.
The group launched a new offensive in October 2022, which intensified from November onwards, triggering a diplomatic crisis between the DRC and Rwanda over their role in the conflict and raising concerns in the region about the possibility of a conflict breaking out between the two countries.
Add Comment