One South African soldier killed and 13 others injured during fighting against the M23 in northeastern DRC

The clashes in recent days have been concentrated around the town of Sake, 30 kilometers from the capital of North Kivu

June 1 (EUROPA PRESS) –

A South African soldier has died and 13 others have been injured during a clash against the militias of the March 23 Movement in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as confirmed by the South African Army, participating in the military assistance mission of the Community of Southern African Development (SADC) in the country.

The combat took place in the vicinity of the town of Sake, in the province of North Kivu, the scene of clashes between the Army and these militias for years, which according to the Congolese Government have assistance from Rwanda, something that this country has categorically rejected. The fighting has caused the exodus of hundreds of thousands of people, most of them to the provincial capital, Goma, where they subsist in inhumane conditions, NGOs denounce.

“All the wounded members were evacuated to the Goma hospital and are recovering,” the South African Army announced on its X social network account after fighting that also left two armored personnel carriers damaged.

In addition to Sake, new fighting has been reported on two strategic hills near the towns of Bweremana and Minova, as well as in the rural community of Kanyabayonga, 150 kilometers from Goma, where tens of thousands of displaced people have once again had to abandon their homes. shelters.

Sources from the local newspaper Kivu Morning Post understand that both the Army and the self-defense groups known as the Wazalendo, allies of the Armed Forces, have managed to repel advances by the M23 towards the center of the city in the last few hours and that the guerrillas have returned to their positions 10 kilometers from the town, which by now “more than 85 percent of the population” has abandoned, according to these sources.