M23 militants in the eastern DR Congo on Thursday initiated a fresh offensive to the north of the provincial capital, Goma, according to a media team’s observation. Simultaneously, clashes with pro-government armed groups persisted further south.
Since 2021, the M23, along with several other militias, has maintained control over significant portions of North Kivu province, defying the presence of peacekeepers in the region.
Wednesday evening witnessed the sounds of mortar fire and automatic weapon rounds in the southern outskirts of Bambo, situated approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) to the north of Goma.
At noon on Thursday, the town center was struck by shells, prompting thousands of frightened residents to flee northward towards government-controlled zones.
“We are in Bambo which has just fallen, we are continuing to fight but there are lots of rebels in the city,” said a security source interviewed by telephone.
Numerous soldiers, police officers, and militiamen were observed joining the civilian population as they attempted to flee the conflict.
“I don’t know where my husband and seven children are,” said Dusabe Ngurikiye, 37, who had hurriedly fled the town.
“When the bombs fell on the city, everyone fled in different directions. We don’t know where we’re going now, where are we going to sleep?,” said a group who had escaped 10 kilometres north of Bambo.
By late afternoon, medical personnel, reached by phone, reported seeking shelter within Bambo hospital, all while distant explosions continued to reverberate in the background.
The hostilities between the M23 and government-aligned militias in the Democratic Republic of Congo have escalated in the vicinity of Goma, the capital of North Kivu, which is inhabited by over a million residents.
The United Nations humanitarian agency, OCHA, reports that nearly 200,000 individuals have been forced to displace from their residences in Rutshuru and Masisi territories, located to the north of Goma, since October 1.
Independent United Nations experts, the government of Kinshasa, and several Western countries, including the United States and France, allege that Rwanda is providing support to the Tutsi-led M23, a claim strongly denied by Kigali.
In November 2022, the M23 seized control of Bambo, and notably, the neighboring village of Kishishe, where the group faced accusations of perpetrating a massacre of 171 civilians.
The militant group retreated in April and had maintained a distance of approximately 20 kilometers ever since.
To the south, the conflict that erupted on Tuesday near Kibumba, located around 20 kilometers from Goma, persisted through Thursday, as reported by both civilian and security sources.
