Despite diplomatic efforts, clashes between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and the M23 militias in the east of the country resumed on Monday in what is now the fifth consecutive day of fighting following the launch of a major military offensive against the insurgents.
Fighting resumed at around 7:00 a.m. in the Kibumba region, according to civil society sources and journalists in Goma quoted by RFI radio. In recent days, the Congolese army had managed to halt the advance of the M23 in this area, located about 20 kilometers from the provincial capital, Goma.
Heavy artillery is being used, ground fighting is taking place and civilians are fleeing to towns such as Goma, where the number of displaced persons is increasing. The Congolese army has given no information during the day, while the M23 claims to have destroyed four T55 tanks.
The fighting has already reached the Nyiragongo region, while on the second front, in Rutshuru, the situation seems calmer in the Mabenga area. The towns of Rutshuru and Kiwanja are still under M23 control.
Meanwhile, the former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta continues his consultations in Kinshasa and the mediator of the Community of East African States (ECOWAS) met with the head of the UN mission, MONUSCO, Bintou Keita.
According to the United Nations, 188,000 people have fled their homes since October 20, for a total of almost 240,000 since the beginning of this latest conflict, which has provoked a diplomatic crisis between DRC and Rwanda over Kigali’s alleged support for the armed group — denied by the Rwandan authorities — and the intervention of a Kenyan support force.
