© RFI/Sonia Rolley
A Congolese army military patrol in the forest (illustrative image).
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the authorities communicated for the first time on the offensives of the M23 rebellion in the territory of Rutshuru in North Kivu. Three soldiers including two officers were killed in fighting on Tuesday near the border with Uganda. 17 soldiers were injured, according to the Council of Ministers, which did not appreciate the performance of its army once morest the rebels.
With our correspondent in Kinshasa, Pascal Mulegwa
According to the report of the Council of Ministers held this Friday around President Félix Tshisekedi and Prime Minister Sama Lukonde, a ” failure has been found in the devices of the armed forces. The sanctions quickly fell: the command of operations in the region was relieved of his duties.
On Friday, military operations continued with the army advancing towards Runyonyi hill, according to this source. On Tuesday, the rebels had invested the positions of government troops until dislodging them from certain localities like Rwanguba and Chengerero. Since then, these localities have been recaptured thanks to reinforcements, says the government.
The M23 announced in a press release on Friday evening a “unilateral ceasefire” which should allow Kinshasa ” to initiate a dialogue », « for a peaceful resolution of the crisis “. However, the rebellion threatens to retaliate if the Congolese army attacks its positions.
For the moment, the authorities have not reacted to this press release and the security situation remains very volatile. Civil society fears the imminent resumption of hostilities as the populations gradually return to their localities.
