Dozens of civilians were killed during clashes between the Congolese army (FARDC) and its allied Wazalendo militias in Sange, South Kivu province on Sunday, December 7.

These clashes reportedly started as some of the fighters sought to flee from the advancing AFC/M23 rebels, who already control Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, and surrounding areas.

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An unspecified number of civilians and FARDC soldiers and Wazalendo were killed in the clashes, media reports said.

In a Monday post on X, AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said the "exchanges of fire with heavy and light weapons between the Wazalendo and the FARDC in the town of Sange caused the deaths of numerous civilians, as well as some Wazalendo fighters who were attempting to flee the front line."

Kanyuka added that several other people were injured.

"The AFC/M23 condemns with the utmost firmness these barbaric attacks deliberately targeting civilians. These acts constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity,” he said.

The rebels are said to advancing toward Uvira, a strategic city that is under government control in South Kivu.

Sange, which saw fighting between the rebels and the government coalition on Monday, is located about 30 kilometers from Uvira. Clashes were also reported in an area called Nyakabere.

If Sange is captured by the rebels, it will the third town to fall under their control since the beginning of December. The rebels retained control of Kamanyola and captured Luvungi after weeklong fighting. Videos circulating on social media on Monday showed rebels fighters interacting with locals in Luvungi.