The AFC/M23 movement has accused the Congolese government and its military allies of causing civilian deaths and mass displacement in South Kivu Province despite a recently signed ceasefire agreement.

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In a statement released on Friday, November 21, the movement’s spokesperson, Lawrence Kanyuka, said the attacks were carried out by a coalition comprising Congolese government forces, Burundian troops, mercenaries, FDLR - a Rwandan genocidal militia – alongside Mai-Mai and Wazalendo militia groups, and the CNRD, another genocidal militia faction that split from the Kinshasa-backed FDLR in 2016.

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According to Kanyuka, these forces "launched a general offensive on all front lines in South Kivu and densely populated areas” since Wednesday, November 19.

‘Fighter jets, combat drones, heavy artillery killing many civilians’

"These attacks, carried out with fighter jets, combat drones, and heavy artillery, are killing many civilians and causing massive displacement of the population,” he said.

The renewed hostilities come barely a week after the movement signed a Peace Framework Agreement with the Congolese government in Doha, Qatar, on November 15, outlining fundamental principles and commitments intended to guide the de-escalation process. The agreement was signed amid reports of ongoing strikes on civilian communities.

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"By these acts, the Kinshasa regime openly violates the Peace Framework,” the movement stated, reaffirming its unwavering commitment to protect and defend civilian populations.

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Despite broader diplomatic efforts aimed at restoring stability in eastern DR Congo, including the Qatar-mediated peace process that continues to bring the Congolese government and the AFC/M23 movement to the negotiating table to address the root causes of the conflict, attacks on civilian populations and on the rebel movement’s positions persist.

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The Qatar-led initiative complements a Rwanda-DR Congo peace deal signed under Washington’s mediation, on June 27. The latter prioritizes the neutralization and dismantling of FDLR. Progress on this front is seen as essential to lifting Rwanda’s defensive measures against the militia, which has repeatedly threatened Rwanda through cross-border attacks. Kigali has emphasised that the defensive measures it put in place to counter security threats from neighbouring DR Congo will remain in place until agreements to neutralise FDLR materialise.

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The implementation of peace initiatives has been slow, largely due to the limited political will from the Congolese government. Kinshasa and its allies, especially Burundi and FDLR, continue to conduct military operations in eastern DR Congo, further deepening the humanitarian crisis.

The situation is especially, increasingly, worrying in remote areas of South Kivu Province where Burundian troops are entrenched, with six to seven battalions. These forces are said to be recruiting, occupying the Minembwe highlands, and imposing a siege on the Banyamulenge community.