The authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have accused the March 23 Movement (M23) of abducting about 50 people in the town of Rusekera, located in the province of North Kivu (east), without the rebel group has so far made a statement.
Isaac Kibira, assistant to the governor of the province, said that these people were put on trucks on Friday and taken to an unknown location, as reported by the Congolese radio station Radio Okapi. North Kivu has been the epicenter for months of fighting between the army and the M23.
The event took place hours after the M23 announced an agreement with the verification mechanism of the East African Regional Force (EACRF) for its withdrawal from the town of Kibumba, in what it described as «a gesture of goodwill, which is carried out in the name of peace».
«We hope that the Congolese government will grab this opportunity with both hands and also work to achieve peace in our country,» said the M23, accused since November 2021 of carrying out attacks against Army positions in North Kivu, despite the Congolese authorities and the M23 signed in December 2013 a peace agreement following fighting recorded since 2012 with the Army, which was supported by UN troops.
The situation has led to a spike in tensions between DRC and Rwanda as Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting the rebels. UN experts stated in a recent report that the Rwandan authorities maintain a «direct intervention» in the African country through their support to the group.
NEW ATTACK IN VIRUNGA PARK On the other hand, at least two rangers were killed on Friday in an attack perpetrated by alleged Mai-Mai militiamen in the Virunga National Park, located in North Kivu. A third was injured, according to the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN).
«A patrol of rangers of the Virunga National Park was attacked by elements identified as mai-mail on Friday, December 23, 2022. We mourn the death of Meddy Kengu and Benoit Hakizimana. Peace to their souls. One injured is in intensive care in our facilities,» he said through his account on the social network Twitter.
For the moment no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The Mai-Mai are Congolese nationalist militias formed to defend their tribal territory against the numerous rebel groups active since the 1990s in eastern DRC – some of them backed by Rwanda and Uganda during the two Congo wars – and fighting for control of the region’s mineral resources.
Virunga is the oldest and most wildlife-rich National Park in Africa. It was created in 1925 for its diversity of habitats ranging from lush rainforests to glaciers and for its richness of species.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
