The Congolese army claims that the government has recaptured several towns that were seized by armed rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) said some of the recovered towns have been occupied by rebels for months, including Ngungu, a key town in the Masisi territory that is near North Kivu’s provincial capital, Goma. South Kivu province’s towns have also been retaken.
“They]the rebels] have seen their adventure come to a halt by the FARDC”, Guillaume Ndjike Kaiko, army spokesman in North Kivu, told reporters, listing the other recovered towns as Lumbishi, Ruzirantaka, Kamatale, Bitagata and Kabingo.
“All over there, they have been pushed back”, Kaiko said on Sunday, attributing the victories to a joint military operation led by the commanders of the provinces.
Still, rebels have made advances in other areas amid intense fighting in the conflict-battered region. The Masisi Center, or center, is still in use by rebels in some Masisi villages.
DRC’s eastern region has been embroiled in conflict for decades, with more than 100 armed groups vying for territory in the mineral-rich region, near the border with Rwanda. Nearly two million people have been displaced by the M23 rebel group, which has been raging since 2022. Rwanda denies supporting M23 with troops and weapons, accuses Kinshasa and the UN.
One of the largest humanitarian crises in the world has been brought on by conflict in this area. Around 6 million people have died since 1998, and about 7 million have been internally displaced.
“We hope we will be safe somewhere.”
Villagers who fled the towns were initially uneasy about the towns’ reclaiming. As they celebrated their return home, they were concerned about their safety.
“We are in Ngungu, but we continue to suffer because the security is not well established”, said Nsabimana Alexis, a resident. “People continue to die, we just buried a person 30 minutes ago”, he said.
Rita Ritagaza, another Ngungu resident, told Al Jazeera, “We are trying to get far away from the area. Heavy artillery has been launched by M23 into our homes. We hope that our family will be relocated to a secure location.
Numerous villages are inaccessible and beyond the reach of aid because of frequent clashes between Congolese forces and M23 rebels.
“Conditions are really difficult. We’re overstretched and we’re looking at a grim future”, said David Munkley, NGO World Vision director for the Eastern DRC.
As more people try to escape the violence in Masisi, displaced camps and aid facilities are being stifled, according to French charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
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