M23 militants violate ceasefire and seize Nyabibwe town in DR Congo
Kyiv • UNN
M23 militants and Rwandan troops have resumed their offensive in eastern DR Congo, despite the announced ceasefire. The city of Nyabibwe, 96 kilometers from the capital of South Kivu province, was captured.
Despite the announcement of a ceasefire in the DR Congo, the March 23 Movement (M23) and Rwandan troops continued their offensive. The city of Nyabibwe, 96 km from the capital of South Kivu province, was captured.
Transmits to UNN with reference to ANSA and AP.
Most recently, after several days of fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group announced a unilateral ceasefire.
We declare a ceasefire on humanitarian grounds, effective February 4, 2025
However, today it became known that M23 and Rwandan troops launched a new offensive in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and captured the mining town of Nyabibwe in South Kivu province. This became known from humanitarian and security sources, reports ANSA
On Wednesday morning, M23 troops entered the town of Nyabibwe, 96 kilometers north of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province.
Context
About a week ago, the M23 rebels attacked the city of Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. After several days of fighting with government forces, they captured it.
The capture of the provincial capital was the biggest success for the rebels since their last offensive earlier this year.
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The fighting for Goma has led to a humanitarian crisis in the region. According to the UN, over 900 people have been killed in the last ten days. The number as of Friday does not include the dead who have already been taken to morgues, the UN emergency relief agency said, citing the World Health Organization.
Local authorities in eastern Congo also counted nearly 2,900 wounded last week. After the capture of Goma, fighting continued in villages in North and South Kivu provinces. The rebels also threatened to march on the capital Kinshasa in the west of the country to overthrow the government.
HelpHelp
In eastern Congo, Rwandan-backed militias and the army have been fighting for power for decades. To understand the background of the conflict, we need to look back to the 1994 Tutsi genocide in Rwanda. At that time, Hutu militants in Rwanda killed at least 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus. At the end of the genocide, the Rwandan perpetrators fled across the border to Goma.
Recall
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine condemned the actions of the M23 rebels who seized the city of Goma in the DR Congo. Ukraine is ready to provide humanitarian assistance and supports a peaceful settlement of the conflict within the framework of the Luanda process.
