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DRC – Several towns that fell to armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reportedly been recaptured by government forces, according to the Congolese army.
The Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) said some of the recovered towns have been occupied by rebels for months, including Ngungu, a key town in the Masisi territory that is near North Kivu’s provincial capital, Goma. Towns in South Kivu province have also been retaken.
This is contained in a report by Ajazeera.
“They [the rebels] have seen their adventure come to a halt by the FARDC,” Guillaume Ndjike Kaiko, army spokesman in North Kivu, told reporters, listing the other recovered towns as Lumbishi, Ruzirantaka, Kamatale, Bitagata and Kabingo.
“All over there, they have been pushed back,” Kaiko said on Sunday, attributing the victories to a joint military operation led by the commanders of the provinces.
Still, rebels have made advances in other areas amid intense fighting in the conflict-battered region.
Some Masisi villages remain under the control of rebels, including its centre known as the Masisi Center.
DRC’s eastern region has been embroiled in conflict for decades, with more than 100 armed groups vying for territory in the mineral-rich region, near the border with Rwanda.
Since 2022, the M23 rebel group has been embroiled in a conflict with the army that has displaced nearly two million people.
Kinshasa and the United Nations accuse Rwanda of supporting M23 with troops and weapons – something Rwanda denies.
News of the reclaiming of the towns brought mixed feelings among villagers who fled the areas.
They worried about their safety as they celebrated their return home.
“We are in Ngungu, but we continue to suffer because the security is not well established,” said Nsabimana Alexis, a resident. “People continue to die, we just buried a person 30 minutes ago,” he said.
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