 "Former members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and police officers who allegedly surrendered to M23 rebels arrive in Goma, Congo, on February 23, 2025. AP File")
Fresh fighting broke out in the eastern DR Congo , prompting hundreds to flee across the border into Rwanda. The turbulence was concerning since it came a day after the country’s leader signed a peace deal brokered by US President Donald Trump.
The Thursday agreement, signed in Washington, DC, meant to stabilise the resource-rich east, but it has had little visible effect on the ground so far, in an area plagued by conflict for 30 years, AFP reported. On Friday, fighters from the anti-government armed group M23 battled in South Kivu province with the Congolese army, backed by thousands of Burundian soldiers deployed alongside it.
Both sides have been fighting for ages for control of the border town of Kamanyola, where the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi meet. It is pertinent to note that M23 is now in control of the region.
Explosions reported in Bugarama
On Friday, the M23 accused the Burundian army of firing “without interruption” into the DRC. In light of this, a Burundian military source told AFP they were reinforcing their positions to ensure they were not overrun by M23 fighters and their Rwandan backers.
“The fighting is intensifying,” the source explained, speaking on condition of anonymity. “There is a real risk that the situation escalates. We are bringing reinforcements to the front because this is a red line for Burundi.”
The source noted that his country could not accept it if “the terrorists of M23 and their Rwandan backers reach Uvira”, a city in DRC less than 30km from Bujumbura, Burundi’s biggest city. Amid the chaos, Hassan Shabani, an administrative official in Kamanyola, said schools, hospitals and civilian homes were all shelled.
Meanwhile, on the Rwandan side, some residents were “scouring the hills from where the shots are coming, in small groups”, said a local woman, Farizi Bizimana. “The children and women are very scared and take refuge in houses when the gunfire becomes intense,” she added.
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View AllIn January this year, M23, backed by Kigali and its army, went on the offensive, capturing the major regional cities of Goma in North Kivu province and Bukavu in South Kivu. On Thursday, in Washington, DR Congo’s president, Félix Tshisekedi, and Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame, signed an agreement that Trump described as a “miracle”.
With inputs from AFP.