In the DRC, Kitchanga (east of the country) passed on January 26, 2023, under the control of the M23 rebellion movement. This city is an important axis of circulation since it allows it to connect Goma, the capital of North Kivu, to the northern part of the province.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kitchanga, nearly 100 kilometers west of Goma (eastern DRC), came under M23 control on Thursday. After heavy fighting, the rebels arrived in the city of North Kivu which is on the border between the territories of Rutshuru and Masisi.
The fighting was powerful and lasted part of the day Thursday before rebels were reported in the afternoon in the city center. A tactical retreat of the Congolese soldiers, according to the spokesman of the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) in North Kivu, to “spare the loss of human life”, caused by fighting with heavy weapons in the locality. Colonel Guillaume Ndjike assures that the Congolese soldiers are still in the area, ready to launch an offensive.
Kitchanga has been emptied of some of its inhabitants
In the evening, the news reported the arrival in Kitchanga of militias to fight the M23. Nevertheless, the locality has been emptied of part of its inhabitants. Some have taken refuge near Mweso, a little further north. Others, in the area of the Mokoto monastery, further south.
The UN mission in the country (Monusco), which has a base in Kitchanga, said it had taken in 450 displaced people. A Monusco demanded the departure of the M23 from the occupied areas.