DR Congo: M23 rebels vow to retaliate after FARDC drone strikes kill two commanders

M23 rebels in eastern DR Congo issued a statement saying that they ‘understood’ the message sent by the Congolese government and will respond after they lost two commanders when government forces struck their positions with drones, on Tuesday, January 16. M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka did not disclose the names of two commanders reportedly killed by drone strikes on rebel held territory in Kitchanga locality, in North Kivu Province. But unverified reports indicate that the killed commanders are Col Castro Elise Mberabagabo, who was M23’s head of intelligence and external relations officer, and Col Erasto Bahati. ALSO READ: DR Congo: M23 rebels ‘welcome’ US-brokered ceasefire “The Kinshasa regime violated yet again the imposed ceasefire by attacking our forces on the front lines and carrying out acts of assassination behind our front lines, killing two of our commanders,” Kanyuka said in a statement on Wednesday. “The M23 has understood the message sent to it by the Kinshasa regime and will respond accordingly.” Kanyuka said M23 respected the ceasefire earlier brokered by the United States government in December. Although the US said the two parties agreed to a ceasefire, M23 continued to accuse the DR Congo government-led coalition of indiscriminate bombing of populated areas in North Kivu. The rebels accused the Congolese armed forces of cooperating with militias, like the UN-sanctioned Rwandan genocidal militia, FDLR, which is responsible for the persecution of Congolese Tutsi communities. ALSO READ: Belgian lawyer on why genocide ideology doesn’t dissolve three decades after dispersion of genocidaires Kanyuka said the M23 appreciated efforts by regional and international leaders to “resolve the ongoing conflict in eastern [DR Congo] peacefully by addressing the root causes of the conflicts.” Kinshasa has refused to dialogue with the M23, calling the latter a terrorist movement. According to media reports, violent clashes took place on Tuesday in several parts of Masisi territory. ALSO READ: M23 warns of ‘imminent genocide’ in DR Congo Despite repeated calls for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, on Wednesday the Congolese army and a newly deployed force from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) announced joint offensives against the M23. It is reported that troops from the 10-nation SADC bloc have been discreetly arriving in eastern DR Congo since the middle of December. Eastern DR Congo, home to more than 130 armed groups, has been volatile for nearly 30 years. Multiple interventions, including one of the UN's largest and longest serving missions, failed to end decades of violence.

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DR Congo: M23 rebels vow to retaliate after FARDC drone strikes kill two commanders