By Mujidu Victor
DR Congo army battalion accused Rwanda of supporting an M23 rebel attack on Sunday near the eastern border of Bunagana town claiming the lives of two soldiers.
The Democratic Republic of Congo denounced the recent reanimation of the M23 violence attacks allegedly caused by their Rwanda neighbours leading to the crippling of the two-country relationship.
Soldiers on patrol in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on June 3, 2022. Source: Twitter/Robert Spencer
On Sunday, the Congolese army said M23 rebels had attacked positions near Bunagana and several other areas of North Kivu province, purportedly to be supported by soldiers and artillery from the Rwandan army.
However, Rwanda has repeatedly denied the allegations of backing the rebel group.
This was revealed by the Daily Monitor a local daily newspaper.
According to an issued statement, two soldiers were killed in the fighting, added that several enemy fighters were also killed without specifying the right figure.
M23 spokesman Willy Ngoma also said that the aggressive violent clashes were looming near the town on Sunday evening.
Rebels had attacked positions near the town, which borders Uganda, in November 2021, similarly in March.
In its statement, the Congolese army said Rwanda aimed to “occupy” Bunagana to suffocate the provincial capital Goma and raise pressure on the government.
The ties between the DRC and Rwanda have been strained since the mass arrival in eastern DRC of Rwandan Hutus accused of assassinating the Tutsis tribe during the 1994 Rwanda genocide.
The M23, a primarily Congolese Tutsi militia, is one of more than 120 armed groups active in eastern DRC.
It briefly captured Goma in 2012 but a joint offensive by UN troops and the Congolese army suppresses the revolt.
M23 resumed fighting late last year after accusing the Congolese government of failing to respect a 2009 agreement under which the army was to incorporate its fighters.
