Rutshuru: 16 Civilians Killed in Wazalendo Attack on M23 Positions

On Thursday, 16 civilians lost their lives in clashes between M23 and the Wazalendo militia in the Rutshuru Territory of North Kivu Province, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The administrator of the territory, Isaac Kibira, told the media that Wazalendo fighters, who usually collaborate with FARDC, attacked M23 positions, resulting in the deaths of seven civilians.

He added that in another clash that occurred in a different area of Rutshuru, a passenger vehicle was set on fire, killing nine civilians.

In any case, neither of the two groups involved in the fighting reported any casualties among their fighters. The civilians who died had no involvement in the fighting.

These clashes are continuing even though a ceasefire that was supposed to take effect on August 4th was reported to be in place.