M23 captures Alimbongo a point strategic for plans to capture entire Lubero and Butembo

 

Watch the footage!

M23 has signed entry  cAlimbongo in North Kivu.Footage filmed by M23 rebels shows their presence in the village of Alimbongo, after fighting against the FARDC. This strategic capture opens the way for the M23 towards Lubero center and the city of Butembo. 

The town of Alimbongo (Lubero territory) has finally come under the control of the M23 rebels supported by Rwanda despite 15 days of resistance by the Congolese army. The inhabitants of Alimbongo testified that the rebels signed their entry into this town around 5 p.m. local time at the end of the fighting that pitted them against the Congolese army since 10 a.m. 

Alimbongo, in the Bamate chiefdom, had until then been the army's major strategic obstacle since the announcement of the ceasefire by the United States of America in early August, the day after the fall of Kirumba, Kayna and Kanyabayonga. 

Its fall comes after that of Matembe conquered Sunday by the rebels. With the fall of Alimbongo, the M23 rebels sign their entry into the chiefdom of Bamate and advance towards Lubero-centre. Direction which is currently experiencing a significant influx of war displaced persons. 

Alimbongo fell while the inhabitants were hoping for a victory by the Congolese army, which held out for 15 days and even tried to push back the rebels at Mighobwe and Luofu, around Kirumba. 

A notable from Alimbongo mentions logistical problems within the FARDC, which does not have enough vehicles to move around. Their Kamaz vehicles purchased during the Kabila era have aged and the army has returned to the old habits of using civilian vehicles. The same source also mentions the issue of calls for respecting ceasefires, which are confusing Congolese soldiers.

Military sources do not wish to comment on this new change in the balance of power at the front in the Lubero territory. 

The Congolese army has not yet officially reacted to this information.

M23 recaptures Matembe and strengthens their defences.

The M23 rebels recaptured the Matembe area yesterday evening, Sunday, forcing the DRC armed forces to retreat towards Vutsorovia.

This comes after Rwanda's refusal to take part in the Luanda talks.

Despite massive losses to FARDC last week,Sources on the Frontline are talking about a reinforcement of the rebels' fortifications, perhaps in view of large-scale attacks.

I am assuring this,basing on the level of reinforcements,it is going to be a bloody attack.

No official  communication from the FARDC for the moment about this.

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M23 strategic bases in Tongo faced fire from wazalendo and FARDC

The strategic positions of Tongo including Rushege and Rushovu are now under the control of the Wazalendo, it is since 3pm after violent clashes between the rebels of Paul Kagame M23_RDF_AFC and the Congolese  forces supported by the Wazalendo patriots that these two towns have been recovered.

The M23 have suffered heavy human and material losses on these positions

The Luanda peace talks flop as Kigali demand Kinshasha to have direct talks with M23

 

The tripartite between Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Angolan President Joâo Lourenço will no longer take place. This announcement was made this Sunday, December 15, 2024, by the Congolese Presidency.

According to this source, the cancellation of this meeting is caused by the refusal of the Rwandan delegation to take part in this meeting supposed to put an end to hostilities in the East of the DRC by the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from Congolese zones.

"Started more than 5 hours late, while the Congolese party was already in the room, the ministerial meeting between the DRC and Rwanda, which was to validate the agreement to be submitted for signature by the heads of state, ended in a damp squib." The Rwandan delegation inserted a clause not provided for in the initial agreement. This new paragraph makes the signing of this agreement conditional on direct negotiations between the DRC and the M23. Something the DRC has always refused," we read in a dispatch from the Congolese Presidency.

The Congolese and Rwandan presidents were due to meet under the auspices of Angolan President João Lourenço, the African Union (AU) designated mediator in the conflict between Kigali and Kinshasa, for new talks aimed at restoring peace in eastern DRC. Early this Sunday morning, only Félix Tshisekedi had arrived at the Angolan Presidency. However, two days before the summit, both parties had stated that they were working on an agreement that could be finalized this same Sunday and that there was a desire to move towards signing a new agreement.

 an official statement, Kinshasa accused Kigali of setting "last-minute conditions" by demanding direct dialogue between the DRC and the M23 rebel group. The DRC, which describes the group as "terrorist", firmly rejected the demand, seeing it as an attempt to "destabilise and torpedo" the peace process.

"An unacceptable condition"

According to the statement, this Rwandan demand is considered incompatible with the objectives set by previous mediations and seriously compromises the efforts undertaken under the auspices of Angola and supported by the African Union. Kinshasa insists that no legitimacy can be granted to the M23, accused of multiple human rights violations and illegal occupation of vast territories in North Kivu.

The summit was also due to address the withdrawal of the Rwandan Armed Forces (RDF) and the disarmament of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), but the cancellation of the meeting jeopardises these advances.

Call for international responsibility

Kinshasa has welcomed the efforts of Angolan President João Lourenço, while calling on the international community to "take responsibility" in the face of what it considers to be "a deliberate blocking strategy" by Kigali. The statement, signed by Erik Nyindu Kibambe, director of the presidential communications unit, states that "the world must see that Rwanda is a major obstacle to peace in the Great Lakes region."

Another failure for regional diplomacy

The cancellation marks a further setback for mediation efforts in the region. The differences between Kigali and Kinshasa over the management of the M23 illustrate the continuing challenges to achieving a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

The Congolese government, however, remains committed to the peace process under the leadership of João Lourenço, while rejecting any attempt to recognise the armed groups as legitimate interlocutors.

Kinshasa and Kigali continue to accuse each other of supporting armed militias operating in the region, exacerbating an already complex situation and threatening the stability of the entire Great Lakes region.

Full Frontline report 15/12/2024

 

New clashes broke out in North Kivu on the Lukuka axis between Matembe and Kaseghe (Lubero) This Sunday morning. Residents say that heavy and light weapons are being heard and causing great terror in the region. The M23 launched at 5:30 a.m. local time and are continuing. Fighting between the FARDC and the M23 rebels continued this afternoon in the south of the Lubero territory, after the failure of negotiations in Luanda this Sunday. According to our local sources, the clashes broke out in the Matembe area, a strategic lock for the defense of Lubero-center. The rebels, heavily armed, are using battle tanks and heavy artillery to try to dislodge the Congolese army. Weapons continue to resonate in the region, raising concerns about the escalation of violence.

Another clarification on the security situation this Sunday morning, October 15, bombs are dropped in the city by the M23, the Malembe district in Buleusa a bomb exploded, ep Zebedee and others in Bushimba, this situation causing panic among the population, Note that the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo are maintaining the city of Buleusa and its surroundings.

A drone of the M23 rebels, supported by Rwanda, was shot down, this Saturday, December 14, 2024, by elements of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) at Matembe, an entity located in the southern part of the territory of Lubero, in the province of North Kivu. The spokesperson for Front-Nord operations, Lieutenant Mbuyi Kalonji Reagan, who reported the news, said that the DRC Armed Forces shot down a Kamikaze drone belonging to the RDF/M23 terrorist coalition at the height of Kivako hill not far from Matembe. This action by the loyalist army is a response to multiple provocations by the M23 rebels,” wrote Lieutenant Mbuyi Kalonji Reagan. The spokesperson for Front-Nord operations protested against this umpteenth provocation by the M23/RDF rebels and indicated that the regular army remains determined to respond to any attack.

The inhabitants of the villages of Vutsorovya and Alimbongo are taking refuge in the locality of Kitsumbiro, fleeing the violent fighting between the M23 and the FARDC government army in the village of Matembe. Since the fall in July 2024 of Kirumba, the largest town in the Lubero territory, it is in Alimbongo, 100 km from the commercial city of Butembo, that the army has already erected its fortress, until now impassable by the rebels. Residents report that the situation is critical this Sunday on the battlefield. On Saturday 14, reinforcements in men and logistics were reported on the rebel side.

They tried everything to take Butembo before the 15th and be in a position of strength. As a result, they lost more elements than expected. Kagame's son got married a few days ago and he was found among those killed by a drone today. Rest in hell, terrorist. Today, will he sign or not?? Despite the fact that we knew he was not going to respect it because he is looking for a way to get his M23 involved in the negotiations. If he does not sign or does not respect today's commitments, the DRC will officially engage the military option against the RDF/M23. If he does not sign, we will see the reaction of the international community that sings to us morning and evening the Luanda mechanism, everyone against the wall. Kigali is exhausted by this war! Fatshi is not Kanambe.

Started more than 5 hours late, while the Congolese party was already in the room, the ministerial meeting between the DRC and Rwanda, to validate the agreement to be submitted for signature by the Heads of State, ended in a fizzle. The Rwandan delegation inserted an incision not provided for in the initial agreement, according to our sources. This new paragraph conditions the signing of this agreement by "direct negotiations" between the DRC and the M23. Something that the DRC has always refused.

Tshisekedi has arrived in Angola so a to meet Kagame in discussion over the M23 war

 

The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, arrived early this Sunday morning, December 15, 2024 in Luanda, Angola. He will participate in a summit meeting with his counterparts Joa Lourenço of Angola and Paul Kagame of Rwanda as part of the Luanda Peace Process.

Mediator appointed by the African Union for a peaceful and diplomatic resolution of the armed conflict between the DRC and Rwanda, Joâo Lourenço wants to obtain from the two leaders of the DRC and Rwanda the signing of an agreement to end hostilities or better a firm commitment to a disengagement of the Rwandan armed forces (RDF) from Congolese territory, a proven presence documented by United Nations experts, underlines the communication unit of the presidency of the DRC via a dispatch.

"If this agreement were to be signed between the two Heads of State, it would mark a turning point in this conflict, the commitment of the Rwandan army at the front of which is attested by the United Nations with at least 4,000 soldiers," indicates our source.

This meeting between Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame, under the aegis of the Angolan mediator, is also the result of several working sessions between the foreign ministers of the three countries.

Identity cards from Refugees from Uganda among the captured things from the M23 base in Lubero?

 

The whole of this week we are ending,I got a lot information and more devastating and shocking photos from the Frontline in Lubero which I hesitated to put here not because I feared but  because I thought it would  cause some military defence hysteria and political doubts.But as you know,this is an era driven by computerization,information and internet communications.It is very hard to determine which is the true information and the duplicated one.In the things FARDC captured ,there were IDs from refugee camps in Uganda and at first a question lingered to my mind,what if it is a duplicated ID card.

Now let me get down to the information?

For quite a good time,many media outlets in DRC have been alleging speculating and with a lot rumours,wrote about the M23 making recruitment from refugee camps in Uganda.Despite all this ,the Congolese gorvenment looked at these writings as mere allegations for it did not want to spoil the good relationships between the two states and particularly the good relationship between Mighty Museveni and H.E Tshisekedi.Butt,surprisingly,from heated up fronts in Lubero where M23 lost many men and other war materials.Among other things recovered were IDs of refugees from Uganda.I really now do not know if this is going to act as a proof that M23 makes recruitment from Ugandan refuge camps.

The truth is that they are a lot o to Congolese in media,the academia who blame Tshisekedi on still holding relationships with Uganda basing on such allegations and many wish the operation Shujaa terminated which would be the worst mistake if either of thee two nations fell for these speculations.And I would wish all the two gorvenments to be clear and not fall for the speculations before they get down to prove this.And ii really Iam convinced that the two security forces will deal with that to avoid any confusion between these two brotherly states.UPDF and  FARDC must consider the very important role of fighting the ADF terrorists who are more terrible as far as security in the region is concerned.

...For God and my Country...