The M23 rebel group claims it has captured the towns of Kibumba, Ruhunda, Buhumba, Kabuhanga, Tongo, Mulimbi in eastern DR Congo. In a statement posted on Twitter, the rebel group said it “confirms the liberation” of the said towns and their surroundings which have been the “FDLR’s strongholds for many years,” and encouraged those who had fled to return. FDLR is a terrorist group composed of remnants of perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi In the M23 statement, they condemned the coalition between the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) and extremist groups including the FDLR, Nyatura and Mai Mai, saying it will “continue to professionally defend itself against them.” Fighting broke out between the two warring parties on October 20 when DR Congo attempted to recapture territories that were occupied by M23. This resulted in the M23 pushing back and intensified the war. In July, the M23 captured the town of Bunagana on the border with Uganda after days of fierce fighting with government troops during which a U.N. peacekeeper was killed and thousands of residents displaced. Meanwhile, as the fighting continues, local authorities in Rwanda, specifically in Rubavu District, have received more than 100 DR Congo citizens who are fleeing their country.
