According to a civil society activist and a research organization, rebels from the M23 group have gained gains in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo after attacking two army posts near the border with Uganda and Rwanda on Monday night.
Heavy combat erupted throughout the day on Monday when Congolese military engaged with the militia some 50 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of Goma, the province seat of North Kivu. more info
According to a civil society coordinator in the adjacent town of Rutshuru, the local administrative center, M23 rebels have subsequently pushed into Kabindi and are just one kilometer from from a land bridge going into Rutshuru.
“If our opponents are able to evict our men, the Rutshuru center would fall into the hands of the attackers,” Jean Damascene Baziyaka told reporters on Tuesday.
The Kivu Security Tracker, a research organization that tracks turmoil in eastern Congo, also claimed M23 advances towards Rutshuru, taking many villages along the route.
During an insurgency in 2012 and 2013, M23 rebels conquered significant swaths of land before being pushed out of Uganda and Rwanda by Congolese and UN troops.
Previously, UN investigators accused Rwanda and Uganda of assisting the organization, which both nations denied.
Rwanda repeated on Tuesday that it was not participating in any “belligerent actions” in its large neighbor, after Congo’s claim that the M23 were supported by Rwandan troops, two of whom it said it had seized.
Meanwhile, Uganda Red Cross spokesman Irene Nakasita said that 6,000 refugees crossed the border from Congo into Uganda on Monday.
“They are being transported to a receiving facility in Kisoro, where they will be processed before being sent to a refugee resettlement camp,” Nakasita said.
In November, M23 rebels tried a similar raid in the same locations, but were repulsed by the Congolese army. more info
Regional attempts to demobilize the organization have been made in recent years, but its leaders have complained about the delayed implementation of a peace pact and have accused the Congolese army of conducting war against them.
