Death Toll Mounts as M23 Rebels Defy Ceasefire in DR Congo’s Walikale-Centre
Residents along the Walikale-Kashebere highway are living in fear and remain traumatised due to the ongoing presence of rebels in nearby villages.
Despite announcing their withdrawal from Walikale-Centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) on April 2, the M23 rebels, affiliated with the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), still operate in the territory, with recent sightings reported in Kashebere and Kibati.
Civil society sources have claimed that the death toll during this period of a fragile ceasefire is 32. The Walikale-Kashebere area is the most affected by the war, which hit seven villages and the rural council of Walikale, where the killings were recorded.
Twelve people were killed at the commercial centre in Kibua, among whom were two women. The majority of the dead were decapitated, while others were killed by bullets. Several other persons were subjected to torture, among whom were the chief medical officer of the Kibua health zone and the medical director of the Kibua reference hospital, who were wounded.
In Kashebere, still occupied by rebels, one person was killed and another is reported missing. Kibati village, also controlled by the M23 rebels, has lost four people, among whom were three men and one woman.
In Kigoma, besides the burning of the belongings of the population by the rebels, two men were killed, one of whom was a taxi driver and the other a farmer. Two children also lost their lives as they escaped into the forest. They drowned in the Kitatenge River.
In Shabunda, three young men lost their lives when they came in contact with the rebels. They were shot at point-blank range. Local sources in the village revealed that they were killed when they returned to the village to collect some of their basic needs from their houses.
In Mutakato village, four people were also killed. Two were shot and a father and his son were also decapitated. In Wenga, located within the Utunda tribal group, one person was decapitated, and according to local sources, the person fell into an ambush by M23 when he was returning to the village to find out about the evolution of the situation.
The Walikale rural council, on its part, lost four people. Their remains were collected and buried by the Red Cross. Two other persons reported missing are a woman and her child. The woman is reported to have been taking her sick child to the hospital, but they never arrived at the hospital, nor did they return to their village.
The population within the Walikale-Kashebere highway currently live under fear following the presence of rebels in certain villages and remains traumatised.
Despite their announced withdrawal, M23 rebels remain active in the Walikale territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo, with sightings in areas like Kashebere and Kibati.
The ongoing presence has resulted in significant violence, including the deaths of 32 people during a fragile ceasefire, with widespread impact across seven villages and Walikale's rural council.
Incidents include 12 people killed in Kibua, with decapitations and shootings reported; torture of the Kibua health zone's chief medical officer and the hospital's medical director; and various killings in Kashebere, Kibati, Kigoma, Shabunda, Mutakato, and Wenga. Civilians remain under fear and trauma, particularly along the Walikale-Kashebere highway, in light of the continuing threat from M23 rebels.
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