The Democratic Republic of Congo has accused accused the M23 rebels of breaking a five-day old peace deal and killing 50 civilians in the country’s turbulent east.
The ceasefire which took effect in the North Kivu province at the weekend, was the outcome of a summit between DRC and its neighbours, Rwanda, which was to have been followed by the rebels pulling out from captured territory, a withdrawal that has yet to take place.
The ceasefire was scheduled to take effect on Friday, November 25, at 1600 GMT and be followed by a pull-out by the M23 two days later, after a parallel initiative undertaken by the East African Community (EAC), decided to deploy a regional force to help stabilise the region.
Spokesman for the DRC Army, General Sylvain Ekenge, in a statement on Thursday, said the M23 insurgents was “carrying out massacres, the most recent of which is that of 50 Congolese civilians, heinously murdered on Tuesday in Kishishe, a village some 70 kilometres north of the eastern city of Goma.”
Ekenge claimed that while Congolese forces had “scrupulously observed the truce”, but that the M23 had attacked government positions.
But on Friday, the rebel group issued a statement denying the alleged massacre of civilians.
In its statement, the M23 described the accusations of a massacre in Kishishe as “baseless allegations” and insisting that “it has never targeted civilian populations,” M23’s military spokesman, Willy Ngoma, said, while confirming that there was fighting with the army.
A DRC security official who spoke speaking on the condition of anonymity, accused the M23 of having breached the ceasefire and “carrying on looting and fighting”.
“The fighting is heavy; we are using heavy artillery. Fighting resumed on Thursday in Kirima, about 10 kilometres from the town of Kibirizi after the rebels crossed the bridge, heading for Kibirizi,” said the DRC army officer.