DR Congo says several towns have been retaken from rebels, but fighting continues | Mining News

Despite recent military gains, eastern DRC remains in conflict, largely as a result of the M23 insurgency.

According to the Congolese army, several towns in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that were captured by armed groups have been recaptured by government forces.

The DRC Armed Forces (FARDC) said some of the towns that have been recovered have been occupied by rebels for months, including Ngungu, the main town in the Masisi area, near Goma, the capital of North Kivu province. Towns in South Kivu province were also retaken.

“They (the rebels) have seen their adventures stopped by the FARDC,” Guillaume Ndjike Kaiko, an army spokesman in North Kivu, told reporters.

“Everywhere they have been pushed back,” Kaiko said on Sunday, attributing the victories to a joint military operation led by provincial commanders.

However, the rebels have made progress in other areas fierce battle in the conflict zone. Some Masisi villages, including the central one known as Masisi Central, are under rebel control.

The eastern region of the DRC is involved decades of conflictMore than 100 armed groups are fighting for territory in the mineral-rich region near the border with Rwanda. Since 2022, the M23 rebel group has been in conflict with the army, displacing nearly two million people. Kinshasa and United Nations It accuses Rwanda of supporting M23 with troops and weapons, which Rwanda denies.

The conflict in this region has created one of the biggest humanitarian crises in the world. Since 1998, about 6 million people have died, and about 7 million people have been internally displaced.

“Hopefully we’ll have a safe place”

The news of the recapture of the cities created mixed feelings among the villagers who fled the regions. While celebrating their return home, they were concerned about their safety.

“We are in Ngungu but we continue to suffer because security is not well established,” said Nsabimana Alexis, a resident. “People keep dying, we just buried a person 30 minutes ago,” he said.

Another Ngungu resident, Rita Ritagaza, told Al Jazeera: “We are trying to get away from the area. The M23 is firing heavy artillery at our homes. We hope that we will have a safe place for our family away from here.”

Frequent clashes between Congolese forces and M23 rebels have left dozens of villages inaccessible and aid out of reach.

“The conditions are really difficult. We are overstretched and we are looking at a grim future,” said David Munkley, the NGO’s director for Eastern DRC.

French charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) says IDP camps and aid facilities in Masisi are being overwhelmed, with more people fleeing the violence.

“We are doing our best to respond to this situation. But the severe lack of humanitarian aid in the area makes things difficult,” said Romain Briey, MSF’s coordinator in Masisi.