A two-week lull in fighting between the M23 rebel group and Congolese government forces shattered on Wednesday, leaving at least five civilians dead, including women and a child, near the strategic town of Kanyabayonga.
The renewed clashes erupted Wednesday morning, bringing the fighting closer to Kanyabayonga, a key location on the northern front of the long-running conflict in North Kivu province.
M23 rebels resumed their armed campaign in the region in late 2021.
Local sources reported shelling by the M23 on the village of Bulotwa, just five kilometers from Kanyabayonga. The attacks reportedly killed between five and seven people, according to differing accounts.
Jazz Muhindo, president of Kanyabayonga’s civil society, confirmed the death of a woman and child among the casualties. He stated they were killed when a shell from the M23 struck their home.
Deputy Mayor Baraka Lukulirwa offered a slightly lower death toll of five, with four injuries reported. He added that a school building was also destroyed in the violence.
The renewed fighting sparked panic among the already-displaced population of Kanyabayonga. Tens of thousands have fled their homes due to the M23 advance in recent months.
The town, with over 60,000 residents, lies roughly 100 kilometers from Goma, the capital of North Kivu.
The International Committee of the Red Cross had just resumed food deliveries to displaced families in Kanyabayonga at the beginning of June, but the renewed fighting forced them to suspend the program again.
While a two-week reprieve had offered some hope, the Congolese army announced a fresh offensive against the M23 earlier this week.
Army spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mak Hazukay claimed success against “Rwandan terrorists” of the M23, stating the neutralization of Rwandan snipers and the destruction of enemy vehicles.
