Tensions in Eastern Congo Drive Hundreds of Refugees into Rwanda

(MENAFN) More than 700 Congolese citizens have crossed into neighboring Rwanda, escaping fresh clashes between the M23 rebel faction and government troops in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, authorities stated Friday. This movement comes a day after the leaders of the two nations signed a US-mediated peace accord intended to resolve the long-standing conflict.

Women and children make up the bulk of the refugees, according to Phanuel Sindayiheba, a local government official in Rwanda’s western Rusizi district along the Congolese border, who spoke to reporters.

He explained that the newcomers were being temporarily accommodated at a transit center in the district and provided with essential supplies, such as food and bedding materials.

Videos shared on social media captured streams of displaced people moving toward Rwanda via the Bugarama-Kamanyola border post, with some carrying both personal belongings and livestock.

Local reports indicated that clashes escalated Friday morning near the town of Luvungi in South Kivu province, as Congolese troops and M23 rebels engaged in heavy fighting, resulting in a large-scale displacement of residents.

According to a local news platform, the rebels launched coordinated assaults on government positions at daybreak, raising alarm just a day after Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame signed a peace deal in Washington, brokered by the US.

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