Fresh fighting in eastern DRC leaves 74 people dead, 83 others wounded

At least 74 people, mostly civilians have been killed and 83 wounded as a result of recent clashes in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a report by the UN humanitarian coordinator in the country late on Monday.

The clashes between Congolese forces and M23 rebels between December 2 and 7 involving heavy weapons and shelling in populated areas affected the territories of Uvira, Walungu, Mwenga, Shabunda, Kabare, Fizi and Kalehe, in South Kivu province.

New data showed that the clashes also displaced more than 200,000 people since December 2, while thousands more have crossed the border into neighbouring countries, including Burundi and Rwanda.

This new crisis comes in a province that already had 1.2 million internally displaced people, according to the UN.

UN calls for civilian protection

In a statement, the UN's humanitarian coordinator in DR Congo, Bruno Lemarquis, called for the immediate protection of civilian populations.

“I am deeply saddened by the devastating impact of this fighting on civilian populations. It is imperative to prevent further casualties from being added to the already tragic toll. The use of explosive weapons in populated areas and attacks on civilian infrastructure such as schools result in unacceptable loss of life and must stop immediately. Civilians and civilian infrastructure are not targets,” he said.

The fighting has even hampered medical evacuations. Lemarquis urged all parties to the conflict to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.

“They must ensure the protection of civilians, respect their distinction in military operations, and ensure safe, rapid and unhindered access for humanitarian actors to deliver life-saving assistance, including care for the wounded,” he said.

US-brokered peace deal

On December 4, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame signed in Washington a peace and economic agreement aimed at putting an end to the fighting in eastern DR Congo.

The agreement was signed following a peace agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump in June.

On Monday, Tshisekedi said Rwanda had violated the peace agreement brokered by Trump, but Kigali denied the claim.

Violence has persisted in eastern DR Congo for decades, killing thousands and displacing millions.

 Fighting intensifies

Latest clashes that broke out last week between the AFC-M23 rebel group and government forces continued on Monday in Masisi territory, North Kivu province, according to local and rebel sources.

The most recent stage of the conflict erupted in 2021, when the M23 rebel group resurfaced and launched an offensive against Congolese government forces.