Monday, August 19, 2024

Damaged Liakobo bridge interrupts transportation between Beni and Butembo

 Road traffic has been interrupted for two days between Beni and Butembo. Around a hundred vehicles are stuck on either side of a small damaged bridge near Liakobo, 8 kilometers from the southern  exit of Beni.




South Sudan soldiers made another incursion on Congolese territory

 


A new incursion by South Sudanese soldiers has been reported on Congolese soil, precisely in the territory of Aru in Ituri. 


According to various media outlets in Ituri, between August 5 and 7, 2024, around 150 South Sudanese soldiers entered the Kameru 2 shopping center located in the Kaliko Omi chiefdom.


These soldiers caused panic for 3 days, shooting in the air and arresting at least 11 people, including Congolese and South Sudanese refugees. They also committed acts of looting and raped a young refugee girl from South Sudan. 

Uganda recently repatriated 97 Congolese Police officers who had fled the fighting

 Uganda recently repatriated 97 Congolese police officers who had fled M23 fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). These security forces, prey to the advance of the M23 rebel group, had found refuge in Uganda. The Ugandan army affirmed that this gesture was part of a humanitarian framework while respecting international law.


These police officers were returned to the DRC with their weapons, ammunition and other military equipment. Uganda, through its army, was keen to emphasize that this return took place in complete transparency and in compliance with bilateral agreements. The situation at the border nevertheless remains worrying, with a continuous flow of refugees seeking to escape the intense fighting in the North Kivu region.


For several weeks, the region has been plagued by an increase in violence, exacerbated by the offensives of the M23 rebel group. The latter recently took control of the strategic town of Kanyabayonga, a high position that could allow them to expand their influence in other areas of North Kivu. This advance forced many civilians, but also security forces, to flee to neighboring countries.


Faced with this crisis, the Congolese army is redoubling its efforts to repel the rebels. Military operations are underway, including the use of drones and aircraft to try to retake lost areas. However, the situation remains tense and the outcome of the fighting remains uncertain.


The outlook for the North Kivu region remains worrying. The advance of the M23, combined with the flight of Congolese security forces, could further destabilize the region. International efforts, including diplomatic negotiations, will be essential to avoid an escalation of conflict and a complete collapse of security in eastern DRC.

Saturday, August 17, 2024

Alshabaab militants have been executed in Galakayo

 Ten al-Shabaab militants have been executed in the central town of Galkayo on Saturday after being convicted previously for carrying out assassinations and attacks. 


Authorities in Somalia’s Puntland region said they are hunting 3 other militants who were sentenced to death in absentia, ordering the security forces to shoot them at sight.

Friday, August 16, 2024

President Kagame makes more changes













Tshisekedi lands in Harare for the 44th SADC ordinary summit of Heads of State.

  •  President Tshisekedi arrived this Friday at Harare , in Zimbabwe , to take part in the 44th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community, which opens on Saturday, August 17.


ADF kills 15 people in Mambasa

 At least 15 people have been killed by ADF (Allied Democratic Forces) rebels since Wednesday, August 14, in the localities of Bana Congo, Limba, and Mayana, located in the territory of Mambasa (Ituri).


The New Civil Society of Mambasa reports that among the victims, eight lost their lives during a double attack that occurred on Thursday, August 15, which also caused the displacement of many farmers. The toll remains provisional, because the fate of about twenty other people, kidnapped by this armed group, remains unknown.


The attack which took place on Thursday, August 15 in the village of Mayana, located in the chiefdom of Babila Babombi, left five dead.


The victims were farmers caught in their fields. Later in the day, another group of ADF rebels attacked the town of Limba, killing three civilians.


Nouvelle société civile also reports that an attack carried out by the ADF on Wednesday, August 14 in Bana Congo, near Mungamba, left seven dead, and that at least 25 people were forcibly taken into the bush.


The security situation in the region has forced many residents to flee to Lolwa, while agricultural activities, the main source of livelihood for the local population, have been completely paralyzed.


Civil society actors in Mambasa are calling on the Government to organize military operations to track down these rebels, similar to the actions carried out in North Kivu, in order to dismantle this armed group which continues to sow terror in the region.

At the Frontline:Claims and report snippets from the Frontline

 The Kiwanja - Mabenga road is cut at Kahunga. The wazalendo signed their entry. they progress towards Rutoboko 1km from Kiwanja.



The Wazalendo claim. to have captured 9 elements of RDF in Rangira.

M23 blamed for killing civilians who refuse their forced labour


 The security situation continues to deteriorate in the Rugari region of North Kivu, with a new case of the killing of a civilian attributed to M23 rebels as claimed by several civilians . This incident, which occurred on Thursday, August 15 in the Rugari group, brings to at least 12 the number of people killed by these rebels in the space of a week, according to  claims from local sources.


The sources said the victims were killed on different dates for refusing to perform forced labor imposed by the rebel administration. Those killed also included two children.


The latest victim is a man named Mbogozi, from the village of Buruhula in Rugari. The man was beaten to death by the rebels for refusing to fetch water from a source located a long distance away in the surrounding hills. According to sources from this entity, the rebels tried to justify the killing by claiming that the victim was collaborating with the Nyatura militia of the Collectif des mouvements pour le changement (CMC), an armed group active in the Rutshuru territory.


The other twelve people killed the previous week are said to have suffered a similar fate. According to reports from local sources, some victims refused to comply with rebel orders to draw water or fetch firewood from the bush.


The same sources said that the rebels also banned the organization of mourning in the families of the victims.

If this true,then the M23 leadership must take this Matter seriously,it usually very dangerous for any rebel group to operate in an area where civilians have become biased and frustrated.The two most constant and undefeatable elements in any declared war are the geography of the area  and the people any  popularist rebel movement is working in.

Today's explosion in Mogadishu led to death of up to 15 people

 :  Abdihakim, a police officer, was among those killed in the Alshabaab explosion at General Kaahiye Police Academy in Mogadishu. Alshabaab...