The M23 insurgents and the DR Congo army are engaged in a conflict in the vicinity of densely populated eastern cities

The M23 rebels and the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s army resumed battle on Sunday in a heavily populated town in the eastern region of North Kivu, where the rebels are conducting an insurgency, according to both parties.

At the end of June, the M23 took control of Kirumba, the commercial center of Congo’s Lubero province. At about the same time, it also took control of Kanyabayonga, a nearby town.

According to M23 spokesperson Willy Ngoma, combat continued early on Sunday morning when government forces targeted multiple rebel positions near Kirumba.

Clashes between the M23 and the army were reported in a statement from the army near the village of Kikuvo, which is around twelve kilometers from Kirumba.

Since 2022, the Tutsi-led M23 have been conducting a new insurgency in the east of the large country in central Africa that is rife with militias.

Rwanda has been accused of supporting the organization by the United Nations, the United States, the Congolese government, and other Western nations. The charges, which Rwanda refutes, have seriously damaged Rwanda’s relationship with its neighbor.

Over the last year, military operations to drive the rebels back have increased as ceasefires mediated by regional parties continue to fall short. At the end of July, it was decided to begin on August 4 at the latest.

According to U.N. estimates, the violence has forced over 1.7 million people from their homes in North Kivu, bringing the overall number of Congolese displaced by numerous wars to a record 7.2 million.
Like many other communities in the region, thousands of displaced persons live in Kirumba and Kanyabayonga.