Fierce clashes have been this Friday morning between the M23 rebels and the Wazalendo militia group backing the Congolese army (FARDC) in Bwito chiefdom of Rutshuru territory, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to the local civil society, fighting broke out after the Wazalendo launched an assault on the M23 positions in an attempt to dislodge them from their base situated in Mulimbi commune.
“Detonations of heavy and light weapons can be heard everywhere in the agglomeration of Mulimbi. The wazalendo surprised the M23 rebels by attacking them from all over Mulimbi. The inhabitants are holed up in their homes. We fear that there will be massacres of civilians if the wazalendo stall. We therefore encourage them to dislodge the enemy from Mulimbi and everywhere else,” said a source from local civil society.
Other clashes have also been reported on two war fronts in the Bwito chiefdom including in the region Rwindi as well as near Bishusha, in the Bukombo group.
On the lines of fighting,, Meanwhile, a relative calm has been observed in some places of Masisi, another war-torn territory, particularly in the Ngungu, Bihambwe and Masisi-centre axis.
According to the president of the civil society in Masisi, Voltaire Batundi Hangi, significant progress has also been reported on the Bweremana axis where the FARDC and the Wazalendo have managed to regain control of Ndumba hill and several other surrounding localities
Since the beginning of the week, heavy fighting has been reported between the army and the M23 in Masisi territory.
