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Fighting rages around Kitchanga, a town in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, as the M23 rebel group seeks to expand its territory.
The group has stepped up pressure on government forces defending towns in North Kivu province, forcing hundreds of civilians to flee their homes.
A video on social media appeared to celebrate and claim that the M23 group’s fighters had captured the city. It was not possible to independently verify their authenticity.
For months, Kinshasa has accused neighboring Rwanda of supporting the M23 group, whose origins lie in ethnic conflicts in the region, a powerful voice in the West openly agrees. Rwanda denies endorsing the group, one of dozens active in the mineral-rich east.
At a Nov. 23 summit in Angola, which included the Congolese president and Rwanda’s foreign minister, regional leaders announced opposition from major M23-controlled towns following a ceasefire in eastern Congo. demanded the withdrawal of power.
The group said it would leave some of the occupied territories by January 15, but some areas remain under its control and are seeking to capture others from government forces. He has been accused by the United Nations and human rights groups of atrocities against people.
Kitchanga is an important town located on the last open route between Goma and Butembo, the main economic hubs of North Kivu. The rest were cut off for fighting.
Many Kitchanga residents fled Thursday’s riots.
“We just went through the war in Kitchanga. We saw the M23 killing people. We were scared, so we ran away so we wouldn’t die too,” said Angelic Mukeshimana. said. A mother of her four children, she left all her belongings and went to a makeshift shelter on the outskirts of Goma, about 150 kilometers away.
The fighting comes just days before Pope Francis is due to visit Kinshasa, the capital of Congo, for three days. The trip was originally scheduled to include a stop east, but the Vatican scrapped it amid mounting violence.
Lawrence Kanyuka, M23’s political spokesman, said in a statement Thursday that government forces had attacked civilians in Kitchanga and elsewhere, adding that the rebel group “has an obligation to intervene and stop another genocide.” There is,’ he said.
A spokesperson for the UN peacekeeping operation in Congo said more than 500 civilians had been evacuated to and around the UN peacekeeping base in Kitchanga and given tents, food, water and first aid.
“M23 must cease all hostilities and withdraw from occupied territories,” said Ndeye Khady Lo.
Analysts say the rebel group’s drive to expand has devastating consequences for civilians.
“If the reports that the group has taken control of Kitchanga are true, this further demonstrates the group’s ongoing territorial ambitions and apparent unwillingness to withdraw,” said the dispute. said Daniel Levine Spond, a researcher at the Civilian Center in .
“The group’s continued westward expansion also raises serious concerns that M23 may seek to completely encircle Goma. is critical in halting the advance of the
Composed mainly of Tutsis of Congolese origin, the M23 made headlines a decade ago when they seized Goma on the border with Rwanda. It is part of a long line of rebel groups linked to Rwanda since they hunted down Hutu militias who fled to Congo after the country massacred Rwandan Tutsis in the 1990s.
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