The M23 rebels have finally taken over Bunagana border town after intense fighting with DRC troops.
“Our troops have taken control of the City of Bunagana since the morning of this Monday, June 13, 2022 at the end of the clashes that pitted us against the FARDC-FDLR-Local Armed Groups coalition,” said M23 in a statement issued this evening.
ChimpReports has also confirmed that rebels now control the border area of Bunagana and surrounding hills.
DRC soldiers fled the battlefield to Uganda after over three hours of heavy gunfire.
M23 Spokesperson Maj Willy Ngoma appealed to DRC President Felix Tshisekedi “to launch political negotiations to end the war.”
He said M23 will not tolerate any new enemy provocations or calls for hatred and xenophobia against the Tutsis.
The escalation in hostilities have triggered a massive exodus of Congolese refugees to Uganda.
Buses belonging to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) picked thousands of refugees from Nyakabande Transit Centre to Nakivale refugee camp.
M23 rebels on Sunday killed Major Éric Kiraku Mwisa, who was in charge of Congolese military operations against the insurgents.
This could have affected the morale of Congolese soldiers considering that Mwisa was a revered battlefield commander.
The takeover of Bunagana is a big blow to the DRC army which recently mobilized special forces operators to defend the strategic town and major trade route to the provincial city of Goma.
Access to the battlefield remains tricky for journalists, complicating efforts to verify information shared by both sides.
Rwanda
North Kivu military spokesperson, Brig Gen Sylvain Ekenge said two Congolese soldiers and several “M23 terrorists” were killed on Sunday during intense fighting with the rebels.
He also accused Rwanda of providing “heavy bombs” and “long-range artillery guns” to strike DRC army’s positions.
Kigali has since denied supporting the rebels but recently warned DRC it reserved the duty to respond to any attacks on its territory.
It remains unclear if Tshisekedi will hold talks with the M23 rebels which his government described as “terrorists.”
The rebels want to be reintegrated in the armed forces of DRC and also allowed to contest for political power.
Tshisekedi had allowed FARDC to absorb and train the M23 fighters as special forces to be deployed anywhere in the country under his command.
However, this idea did not materialise, compelling M23 to take up arms against the Kinshasa government.
In the meantime, defence chiefs from the East African region will soon meet in Nairobi, Kenya to finalise plans to set up a joint force to battle militants in DRC.
