At least 50 people were killed in a series of weekend attacks in eastern Congo, officials said Saturday, as the government and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels traded blame amid a fresh wave of violence threatening to derail regional peace efforts.
The clashes, centered around the strategic city of Goma – held by M23 rebels – marked the most serious escalation yet, casting doubt on mediation efforts led by Qatar and African nations and stoking fears of a wider regional conflict.
Goma resident Amboma Safari described a harrowing night as his family of four hid under their bed while gunfire and explosions echoed through the city. “We saw the bodies of soldiers, but we couldn’t tell which side they belonged to,” he said.
In Bukavu, another city reportedly under M23 control, dozens of Wazalendo militia fighters – who support the Congolese army – staged a brief march toward the local airport in what appeared to be a show of defiance against the rebels.
The group later retreated but declared a cease-fire Sunday to give ongoing peace talks "a chance."
The decades-long conflict between Congo and the M23 rebels escalated in January, when the rebels made an unprecedented advance and seized Goma, followed by the capture of Bukavu in February. The latest fighting has killed some 3,000 people and worsened what was already one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with an estimated 7 million people displaced.
In a statement, Congo’s Interior Ministry said 52 people were killed between Friday and Saturday, including one person shot dead at Goma’s Kyeshero Hospital. The ministry blamed M23 for the attack.
M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka accused Congolese forces and their allies of carrying out the violence. In a statement, he said Congo’s joint operations with local militias and southern African troops “directly threaten the stability and security of civilians” in the region.
The group said it had been compelled to “reconsider its position to prioritize the security” of people in the area – a signal that the crisis could deepen.
Christian Kalamo, a civil society leader in North Kivu province, which includes Goma, said at least one body was seen on the streets Saturday.
“It is difficult to know if it was the Wazalendo, the FARDC (Congolese forces), or the M23 who carried out the attacks,” Kalamo said. “Now, we don’t know what will happen, and we live with fear in our stomachs, thinking that the war will resume.”
