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Kinshasa and its allies accuse neighboring Rwanda of supporting M23—a claim Kigali has consistently denied
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7 soldiers, 10 rebels killed in clashes before M23 takes over Lunyasenge, official tells Anadolu
Kinshasa,
M23 rebels and their allies on Sunday seized control of the town of Lunyasenge, located on the western shore of Lake Edward in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, following clashes with the army that left 17 people dead, including seven soldiers. The Congolese army confirmed in a statement that Lunyasenge had been captured in the eastern province of North Kivu.
Colonel Mak Hazukay, the army spokesperson for the Greater North region, condemned the attack as “an intentional and blatant violation of the ceasefire and all measures put in place to support the ongoing negotiations in Doha, Qatar, and Washington, United States.”
Hazukay said the Congolese army reserves “the right to respond on all fronts if the threat from the rebels and their Rwandan allies persists.”
The statement did not mention the clashes or casualties. However, a local official, speaking to Anadolu on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, confirmed that seven soldiers and 10 rebels were killed in the fighting.
Locals claimed that the rebels came ashore from the fisheries of Vutsumbi and Kamandi Gite.
“I witnessed it firsthand; some of them crossed the lake and moved into the highlands,” said local resident Muhisa Ngeloko, confirming that the rebels clashed with Congolese soldiers in Lunyasenge.
Lunyasenge is a strategic fishing area located about four hours by boat from Kyavinyonge, an important fishery adjacent to Virunga National Park, situated on the northern coast of Lake Edward.
Kyavinyonge provides access to Butembo, Beni, the border town of Kasindi-Lubiriha, and Uganda. The capture of the Lake Edward fisheries places the rebels in areas under Ugandan influence.
The M23 group, central to the ongoing conflict in eastern Congo, has intensified its offensive since December, seizing key locations, including Goma and Bukavu.
Kinshasa and its allies accuse neighboring Rwanda of supporting M23—a claim Kigali has consistently denied.
In March, Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame agreed to a ceasefire during talks mediated by the Emir of Qatar in Doha. Despite the agreement, fighting has continued in several parts of North Kivu province.
In April, Congo’s Foreign Minister, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, and her Rwandan counterpart, Olivier Nduhungirehe, signed a U.S.-brokered declaration in Washington. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attended the event.
Both sides pledged to respect each other’s sovereignty and draft a peace agreement by May 2 to end hostilities in eastern Congo, but no official statements regarding the deal have been released as of yet.
Source: AA.COM
