M23 Rebels Drc

By last night, three MONUSCO peacekeepers had died in 48 hours in the line of fire between the forces allied to the local army FARDC and the M23 rebels.

The governor of Congo's North Kivu province, Peter Chirimwami, has died from injuries sustained during fighting on the front line, according to the military spokesperson.

The M23 rebels have escalated their offensive and recently captured Sake, a key town in South Kivu, heightening the threat to Goma, the capital of North Kivu.

Head of M23’s political wing Bertrand Bisimwa, termed the group’s efforts as an “existential war” to protect Congolese Tutsis, who he claims have long faced discrimination due to their ethnic links to Rwanda.

The move dashes hopes of a deal to curb Congo's M23 rebel conflict that has displaced more than 1.9 million people.

Retired military officers from Europe protect the DRC capital of North Kivu from falling to Rwandan-backed rebels. The job is well paid but soldiers must also deal with a better-armed adversary.

"We were ready to sign ... but the Congolese minister refused. She first commented on the report and then later, after consultation, she came back. She told us she was opposed to adopting the report."

The M23 movement, a Tutsi-led organisation purportedly backed by Rwanda, seized the area, which produces minerals used in smartphones and computers, following intense fighting in April.

The Rwandan leader claims that Kinshasa has armed FDLR and uses it to fight the M23, who are Congolese.

"I must confess, President Ruto is supporting Rwanda, and I won't say anything more about that," Tshisekedi said during a DRC session hosted by the Brookings Institution.

The DRC demanded the withdrawal despite UN concerns about rampant violence in the east of the country.

The country currently has 6.7 million people displaced within its borders, amid serious flooding emergencies and a resurgence of measles and cholera outbreaks.

Rwanda cited repeated violations of its airspace by Congolese fighter jets as contributing to the heightened tensions.

This marks SA's first fatalities since it deployed 2,900 troops to the mineral-rich region last December to quell violence.