KINSHASA - M23 rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Thursday, October 26, launched a new offensive north of the provincial capital Goma, an Agence France-Presse team observed, as fighting with pro-government armed groups continued further south.
The M23, which has captured swathes of territory in North Kivu province since 2021, is one of several militias holding sway over much of the region despite the presence of peacekeepers.
On Wednesday evening, mortar fire and rounds of automatic weapons were heard on the southern outskirts of the town of Bambo, some 60 kilometers north of Goma.
At midday on Thursday, shells hit the town center and thousands of panic-stricken residents began running north to reach government-controlled areas. "We are in Bambo which has just fallen, we are continuing to fight but there are lots of rebels in the city," said a security source interviewed by telephone. Hundreds of soldiers, police officers and militiamen were seen joining the population as they tried to escape the fighting.
Bambo was taken by the M23 in November 2022, notably the nearby village of Kishishe, where it was accused of massacring 171 civilians. The rebel group withdrew in April and had since remained some 20 kilometers away.
