DRC | June 13, 2024
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Reuters reported on 19 June 2024 that at least five people, including three women and a girl, were killed in a bombing in Kanyabayonga town in eastern Congo’s North Kivu province. An army spokesperson accused the M23 rebel group of the attack.
Reuters reported on 22 June 2024 that the militia group Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO) killed at least 23 people in attacks on villages in Ituri province. These attacks are linked to competition for influence and mineral resources.
Further reports state that M23 rebels also seized control of key towns Kirumba and Kanyabayonga, in North Kivu province. The latter is home to more than 60,000 people, thousands of whom have been driven away from their homes by the rebels (VOA, 30 June 2024; The Guardian, 29 June 2024).
World Watch Research analyst Yonas Dembele comments: “The security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has deteriorated significantly in recent months, with increased attacks by several different armed groups, not just the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), in North Kivu and Ituri provinces. Civilians, especially women and children, bear the brunt of the violence. Although M23 and CODECO are not primarily motivated by religious animosity like the ADF (who often target Christian communities with the objective of spreading their extremist version of Islam), regular attacks by the two groups have significantly contributed to destabilizing eastern DRC, allowing the ADF to thrive. The lack of robust intervention to target and address the problems posed by the many armed groups in this region leaves Christians in a vulnerable state. Christians who speak out against the injustice and atrocities committed in the region have often become targets.”
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