Congo’s military says that members of the M23 rebellion group have attacked a base in eastern Congo’s Rutshuru area and that fighting is ongoing.
“The M23 insurrection movement attacked the FARDC positions in Rutshuru with the intention of destabilizing the province. At present, the fighting is underway and the loyalist forces are determined to put an end to this armed group once and for all,” said Gen. Sylvain Ekenge, deputy spokesman for Congo's military, also known as FARDC.
The rebels attacked the remote villages of Runyonyi and Chanzu, on the strategic hills of North Kivu province near the borders with Rwanda and Uganda, he said. The rebels had taken over lands near there in 2012 and were pushed from the area into Uganda and Rwanda in 2013 by Congolese and United Nations forces.
The M23 group, however, denied that they are behind the attacks or fighting with the military or government in a statement Monday.
The fighting has caused large numbers of people to flee to Uganda, according to the Uganda Red Cross.
The group said Monday it deployed a team to assess needs among people fleeing the fighting overnight. Hundreds are camping at the border post of Bunagana, seeking shelter in Uganda, spokeswoman Irene Nakasiita said.
Ugandan authorities didn’t immediately comment. The East African country is home to 1.3 million refugees who fled violence in neighboring countries such as South Sudan.
Eastern Congo is prone to insecurity with fighting between rival armed groups, including rebels opposed to the government in the capital, Kinshasa. In recent years an armed group with roots in Uganda has been blamed for a series of attacks on civilians in the region.
In a security alert Sunday, the U.S. Embassy in Congo noted “reports of a potential attack in Goma,” the capital of North Kivu province. “There is increased security presence throughout the city,” the advisory said, adding that U.S. government personnel in the area were advised to shelter in place.
Newer articles:
- Nepali peacekeepers leave for South Sudan - 09/11/2021 16:00
- Two youths stab each other to death in South Sudan, 9 arrested - 09/11/2021 04:57
- WFP in South Sudan reaches communities battered by third year of floods; builds roads and dykes to help people recover - 09/11/2021 04:26
- South Sudan's govt forms committee to investigate Optimum Aviation plane crash - 09/11/2021 03:06
- UNICEF delivers lifesaving medical assistance to hospitals in Khartoum - 09/11/2021 01:47
Older news items
- South Sudan: How WFP is working with farmers to counter climate change - 08/11/2021 07:54
- Coup Leader Burhan Says He Will Not Be Part of Sudan Government after Transition - 08/11/2021 02:27
- South Sudan: 12 Killed in South Sudan Road Crash - 07/11/2021 23:25
- Partnership focused on peace links Seton Hall to South Sudanese university - 07/11/2021 23:05
- ‘We were taught to kill.’ This Nov. 11, remember child soldiers, and the harms their recruitment causes to all sides - 07/11/2021 03:00
Latest news items (all categories):
- South Sudan needs ‘civic education’ before elections, says bishop - 16/01/2025 16:42
- South Sudan parties set to resume peace talks in Kenya - 16/01/2025 16:39
- Abandoned but not forgotten – the invisible crisis in South Sudan - 16/01/2025 16:35
- The SAF has committed barbaric atrocities against South Sudanese refugees in Wad Medani - 16/01/2025 16:27
- Syria 2025: The historical Syrian project: From revolution to a modern inclusive civil state - 16/01/2025 16:10
Random articles (all categories):
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 61763 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22308 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21496 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 19063 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 18819 times