The escalating clashes between DR Congo forces and the M23 militant group have reportedly displaced at least 150,000 people
The eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) has descended into chaos, with thousands of civilians fleeing renewed assaults by the M23 rebel group, one of the most active militant coalitions in the African nation.
The militants detonated explosives in Sake, North Kivu which is about 27 kilometers (16 miles) from the conflict-ridden provincial capital, Goma, the Associated Press (AP) reported on Wednesday, citing locals. The country’s army confirmed in a statement that its soldiers were fighting back attacks by the rebels around Sake. According to Reuters, a rocket landed near a university in Goma, but no casualties were reported.
Marc Sere, an aid worker in Sake, told the AP that another humanitarian staff member was killed in Wednesday’s bombing.
“Humanitarians had to stop actions in this city for security reasons because bombs were falling at any time,” Sere said.
The Congolese government has vowed that it will not allow M23 to take control of Goma, located on Lake Kivu near the Rwandan border.
In response, the group issued a statement claiming that its fighters, carrying out “defensive maneuvers,” have no plans of seizing the town, which they briefly captured in 2012.
“However, artillery and air attacks targeting our forces and/or indiscriminate shelling of civilian populations will be dealt with at their source,” the armed coalition warned.