Combat resumes between M23, Congo army in east DRC

M23 soldiers are seen at the Stade de l'Unite' (Unity Stadium in French) in Goma on February 6, 2025 for a public gathering called by the armed group.[AFP]

Violent combat has broken out between the Congolese army and the M23 armed group in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo despite a peace treaty, security and local sources told AFP on Monday.

Kinshasa and the M23 signed a declaration of principles on July 19, in which they committed to a permanent ceasefire, following the signing of a peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda in late June.

However, these accords have not stopped the violence, and fighting between Rwanda-backed M23 and local groups affiliated with Kinshasa has intensified since Friday around the town of Mulamba, in South Kivu province.

The M23 pushed back militiamen and Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) soldiers present in the area after clashes involving heavy and light weapons, according to local and security sources.

On Sunday, both sides sent in reinforcements, the sources reported.

Fighting was still ongoing Monday around Mulamba, a town located about 80 kilometres (50 miles) southwest of Bukavu, the provincial capital.

"Both forces are using heavy weapons" and "bombs are being fired in all directions at Mulamba," said a resident contacted by telephone by AFP on Monday.

Neither side has provided any casualty figures.

In a statement Monday, M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka accused Kinshasa of conducting "offensive military maneuvers with a view to a large-scale conflict."

Since its resurgence in 2021, M23 has seized large swathes of territory in resource-rich eastern DRC, including the major cities of Goma in January and Bukavu in February.

More than two million people have fled violence in the east since January, according to a report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs published in late July.