The AFC/M23 movement has reported that six people were killed and 41 others injured in a drone attack on Masisi Centre, North Kivu, on Friday, January 2.

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AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said the attacks involved airstrikes and indiscriminate bombardments launched from Uvira by the coalition of the Congolese armed forces (FARDC), Burundian forces, the Rwandan genocidal militia FDLR, foreign mercenaries, and local armed groups including Mai-Mai and Wazalendo militias.

"These attacks terrorize civilian populations, cause loss of life and provoke massive displacements of innocent people,” he said.

"Repeated violations of the ceasefire, hate crimes and ethnic cleansing, as well as the continuous and coordinated attacks carried out by the coalition forces of the Kinshasa regime against our positions and densely populated areas, whether on the ground, on the sea lanes or in the air.”

The spokesperson further denounced the Congolese government for using Uvira as a launch pad for the assaults. The city had been captured by AFC/M23 on December 10, a move the group said was intended to end killings and suffering among unarmed Banyamulenge civilians.

However, the movement later announced a unilateral withdrawal from the town, describing it as a confidence-building measure aimed at advancing the Doha Peace Process and achieving a lasting solution to the conflict in eastern DR Congo.

The withdrawal, which took place on December 17, came after the city had previously served as a stronghold of government forces, Burundian troops and their allied militias. According to the movement, Uvira has since reverted to being an operational hub for renewed offensives.

"Indeed, the Kinshasa regime sought to take advantage of the withdrawal of our troops by reoccupying the entities concerned, which it uses as bases to carry out repeated, massive and sustained offensives against our positions as well as against densely populated areas,” Kanyuka stated.

"This is particularly the case in the towns of Uvira and Makobola, where the forces of Kinshasa have committed massive rapes against women and systematic looting.”

Meanwhile, Willy Manzi, the Vice Governor of North Kivu, also condemned the attacks in a separate post on his official X account. He argued that "These are the very people (President Felix) Tshisekedi promised to stand with, claiming he would live among them until their suffering ended,”

"Instead of listening to their cries, the [president] has chosen to spend millions on drones, in the attempt to turn eastern DR Congo into an uninhabitable land.”