By Rorisang Modiba
- Over 500,000 people have run from their homes this year as M23 rebels attack villages in eastern DRC, forcing families into crowded camps.
- Fighting has started again near Bukavu city, making people leave their homes and close their shops and schools.
M23 rebels are closing in on the city of Bukavu in eastern DRC after attacking the village of Ihusi on Tuesday morning.
This village is just 40 km from an important military airport and 70 km from Bukavu city.
This attack comes after 24 African leaders met in Tanzania last weekend to try to stop the fighting, but their calls for peace were ignored.
The M23 rebels, who received help from Rwanda, moved into South Kivu after taking control of Goma city last month. Many people died in that attack.
People in Bukavu are scared. Schools closed on Friday, and many families have fled. Shop owners have also shut their businesses.
Al Jazeera reporter Malcolm Webb says people in Bukavu are worried about what the rebels will do next.
Meanwhile, there are problems in the camps near Goma, where people who fled the fighting are staying. Some say an M23 colonel told them to leave Bulengo camp within three days.
The M23 says this isn’t true. They claim people are choosing to go back to areas the rebels now control. However, many people have lived in the camp for two years and don’t know if their homes are still standing.
The fighting has forced 6.7 million people from their homes across the DRC. Most are in the Kivu areas. Aid is running out after the United States stopped funding UN operations. This means less help with healthcare and shelter.
The DRC government says Rwanda and M23 are stealing the country’s minerals, which has worsened tensions between the two countries.
Pictured above: UN peacekeepers in Congo.
Image source: @UN
