The Economic Community of Southern Africa (SADC) announced on Sunday that its Secretary Elias Magosi visited its troops deployed in the DR Congo.
According to SADC, Magosi – who is from Botswana – had come to “enjoy and monitor the situation”.
The SADC unit currently consists of troops from South Africa, Malawi and Tanzania, who came to help the Congolese army in the fight to eradicate the M23 group.
Meanwhile, M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka announced that this week and since the morning of Monday, the combination of government forces and allied groups with these SADC forces “launched large-scale attacks on the population” in Mweso areas. , Mpati and Karuba in Masisi and Kibumba in Rutshuru.
The fighting on Sunday ended on Monday night and resumed on Monday, causing many civilians to flee their homes, especially in the Karuba area.
The side of the government forces did not announce anything about this Sunday’s fighting, only some of the news published by their supporters said that the M23 rebels attacked the government forces and their allies.
In their latest report, the UN experts say that the Congolese army has collaborated with groups including the FDLR, a separate Mai-Mai group called Wazalendo, and the Burundian army. M23 says that SADC forces have also increased.
These experts say that M23 is supported by the Rwandan army.
Kigali and Gitega deny what the UN experts say.
Analysts say there is concern that the war in eastern DR Congo could lead to more serious conflicts in the Great Lakes region.
