DR Congo’s army says it has killed two soldiers from Rwanda who were allegedly part of the forces supporting M23 rebels to “occupy” Bunagana town, near the Ugandan border.
On Sunday, the Congolese army said M23 rebels had attacked its positions near Bunagana town and several other areas of North Kivu province, “supported by soldiers and artillery from the Rwandan army”.
Two soldiers were killed in the fighting, according to a statement, which added that several enemy fighters were also killed, without specifying a figure.
Local officials and army officers told AFP earlier on Sunday that M23 rebels had launched a morning assault on Bunagana that the army later repelled.
M23 spokesman Willy Ngoma told AFP that “very violent clashes” were continuing near the town on Sunday evening.
Rebels had attacked positions near the town, which borders Uganda, in November 2021 and again in March.
According to Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), Rwanda aimed to “occupy Bunagana in order to suffocate the provincial capital Goma and raise pressure on the government”.
Rwanda accuses DRC of firing rockets
On Friday June 10, 2022, the Kigali government issued a statement saying DRC armed forces, FARDC, fired two 122mm rockets into Rwanda from the Bunagana area, striking along the Rwanda-DRC border in Nyabigoma Cell, Kinigi Sector, Musanze District at 11:55am.
“There were no casualties but the local population is terrified. This follows similar shelling by forces in DRC on 19 March and 23 May 2022 in Kinigi and Nyange Sectors of Musanze District and in Gahunga Sector of Burera District, which caused casualties and damaged property.”
Rwanda said these incidents, including the kidnap by FARDC-FDLR of two RDF soldiers on border patrol, have been reported to the Government of DRC, the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism of the ICGLR and other partners.
“RDF assures the population that efforts to resolve this issue are underway and their safety is assured.”
DRC accuses Rwanda of attacking its territory
North Kivu Province Governor’s Office also released a counter-statement saying “since 4:15 p.m. of Friday, June 10, 2022, the Rwandan army fired a dozen bombs in the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo”, allegedly killing two children.
The governor’s spokesman, Ekenge Bomusa Efomi Sylvain, said the bombs fired by a long-range cannon at more than 22 kilometres, from Rwandan territory, exploded in Biruma and Kabaya, localities located in the Kisigari group, Bwisha chiefdom, in Rutshuru territory, respectively five miles and half a mile east of Rumangabo.
“For the Kabaya bombs, which fell more precisely within the walls of the Saint Gilbert Institute, the provisional toll is two male children killed. This is Ishaka Mapenzi, 7 years old and 6-year-old Jeremiah Nziuvira. Another boy whose identity is not yet specified was injured and is admitted to a local hospital. In addition to the human toll, the Rwandan army bombed an entire school which is both a war crime and a crime against humanity,” said Ekenge.
“Let us recall that it is in Biruma where two soldiers of the defense forces of Rwanda were recently captured on May 28, 2022, by the defense and security forces with the support of the population who resists the aggression of our country by Rwanda, not only to justify these bombardments intended to punish the population which had helped to capture the soldiers of the Rwandan special forces but also to cheat and mislead the international community on its bellicose intentions. Rwanda published the press release according to which the FARDC would have fired bombs on Rwandan territory.”
Ekenge said this is the same ploy used to justify the latest attacks by Rumangabo and Kibumba.
“Accustomed to sacrificing its own populations, Rwanda, to victimize itself and find the motives to attack the DRC, never hesitated to bomb its own territory and then fire bombs on the Congolese soil. In addition, to confirm the support of the Rwandan army to the M23, we are in possession of the drone images attesting to the occupation of Tchanzu and Runyonyi and by the Defense Forces of Rwanda (RDF).”
Ekenge said FARDC with the support of MONUSCO will not stand idly by in the “face of the cruelty of the occupants”.
“They continue to fight back and defend themselves to safeguard the integrity of the national territory and to protect the Congolese populations until the supreme sacrifice. The Armed Forces of The Democratic Republic of Congo urges the population to maintain the total vigilance and to denounce any suspicious presence.”
