By
Mujidu Victor
DR Congo army battalion accused Rwanda of supporting an
M23 rebel attack on Sunday near the eastern border of Bunagana town claiming
the lives of two soldiers.
The
Democratic Republic of Congo denounced the recent reanimation of the M23
violence attacks allegedly caused by their Rwanda neighbours leading to the
crippling of the two-country relationship.
Soldiers on patrol in
the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on June 3, 2022. Source:
Twitter/Robert Spencer
On Sunday, the Congolese army said M23 rebels had
attacked positions near Bunagana and several other areas of North Kivu
province, purportedly to be supported by soldiers and artillery from the
Rwandan army.
However, Rwanda has repeatedly denied the allegations of
backing the rebel group.
This was revealed by the Daily Monitor a local daily newspaper.
According to an issued statement, two soldiers were
killed in the fighting, added that several enemy fighters were also killed
without specifying the right figure.
M23 spokesman Willy Ngoma also said that the aggressive
violent clashes were looming near the town on Sunday evening.
Rebels had attacked positions near the town, which
borders Uganda, in November 2021, similarly in March.
In its statement, the Congolese army said Rwanda aimed to
“occupy” Bunagana to suffocate the provincial capital Goma and raise
pressure on the government.
The ties between the DRC and Rwanda have been strained
since the mass arrival in eastern DRC of Rwandan Hutus accused of assassinating
the Tutsis tribe during the 1994 Rwanda genocide.
The M23, a primarily Congolese Tutsi militia, is one of
more than 120 armed groups active in eastern DRC.
It briefly captured Goma in 2012 but a joint offensive by
UN troops and the Congolese army suppresses the revolt.
M23 resumed fighting late last year after accusing the
Congolese government of failing to respect a 2009 agreement under which the
army was to incorporate its fighters.
