Renewed Clashes in Eastern DRC Heighten Tensions near Sake
Fresh clashes erupted early Wednesday morning, May 8, 2024, on several hills surrounding the strategically important city of Sake in the Masisi territory, approximately twenty kilometers from Goma.
The confrontations involved M23 rebels, backed by the Rwandan army (RDF), and the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC), supported by the Volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland (VDP), also known as “Wazalendo.”
Reports from local civil society sources indicate that the M23 rebels initiated the attack with the intention of seizing Sake but were ultimately repelled.
Olivier Munguiko, a civil society representative in Masisi, provided insights into the situation, stating, “Clashes resumed around 3 a.m. along the Sake axis.
The rebels instigated the hostilities in an attempt to reclaim Sake from Kanve, situated on RN2 leading to Bukavu. However, resistance forces successfully pushed the rebels back to Vunano.
Currently, clashes are ongoing near Lutobogo and the outskirts of Sake. While the city remains relatively calm, the sound of gunfire echoes through the area, particularly in Lutobogo, Vunano, and the vicinity of Sake branches.”
As of now, local administrative and military authorities have not officially commented on the latest assault by the M23 rebels on Sake.
The sound of heavy and light weapons reverberating in the heart of Sake has sparked fears reminiscent of the tragic events that unfolded last Friday in displaced persons camps in the Mugunga and Lac Vert neighborhoods of Goma. On May 3, the M23 rebels targeted these sites, resulting in 18 fatalities and 32 injuries, as reported by OCHA.
The M23 rebels maintain a presence along the central Sake-Mushaki-Masisi axes, including the mining town of Rubaya, which they recently seized, as well as Sake-Kitshanga-Mweso and Sake-Bweremana-Minova routes, indicating their movement towards the neighboring province of South Kivu.
Their occupation of these areas, along with several others in Nyiragongo and Rutshuru territories, has exacerbated the humanitarian situation in Goma, with vital supply routes for food and other essential commodities largely cut off.
