
New conflicts broke out this Monday, June 30, involving AFC/M23 rebels and Wazalendo fighters from the Collective of Movements for Change (CMC) in the villages of Munguli (Kihondo group) and Kikuro (Tongo group) within Rutshuru territory, North Kivu province.
Starting at 6:00 a.m., loud explosions from both heavy and light weaponry were reported in the vicinity, as per multiple local sources.
These confrontations followed a weekend already marred by violence in the towns of Birambizo and Karambi (Bukombo group), along with parts of the Kihondo group, leading to hundreds of residents fleeing their homes.
Mass Displacement and Destruction
On Sunday, at least six homes were set ablaze in Karambi and its surroundings. The unrest has triggered significant population movements, with residents either seeking refuge in the nearby Bashali-Mukoto group or hiding in the bush.
A local organization, the Collective of Victims of the Aggression, reported that a civilian injured during the clashes was abducted while being transported by a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) ambulance between Bukombo and Mwesso. The organization expresses concern over the worsening security situation, which is also obstructing humanitarian efforts in the area.
Four Weeks of Violence
These clashes are part of an ongoing wave of armed conflict that has been affecting the Bwito groups, including Bambo, Tongo, Bukombo, and Kihondo, for over four weeks.
The local community is enduring a state of chronic insecurity: some residents have permanently relocated, while others oscillate between fleeing into the bush and cautiously returning home, depending on the temporary lulls in violence.
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