New refugee wave as M23 rebels seize 2 towns in North Kivu

Rebel group M23 have captured two more towns in North Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local sources say, after fierce fighting on Saturday afternoon.

Masisi-Centre and Lushebere in northeast Kivu came under rebel control after the Congolese army made a “strategic withdrawal to avoid collateral damage among civilians.”

The M23 and the Congolese army accuse each other of reigniting the fighting by exposing civilians.

"The aggressors are using vulnerable civilian populations, particularly children, as human shields, in flagrant violation of human rights and international humanitarian law," said DRC Defence minister Guy Mwadyamvita.

M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka, on the other hand, accuses the Congolese army of bombing areas occupied by civilians.

Kinshasa says that in Nyirangongo territory, the Congolese army has "resisted attacks aimed at breaking through its defensive lines and advancing towards the town of Goma" and in Masisi, the rebels advanced.

But Government Spokesman Patrick Muyaya said that "the way that rebels are advancing means nothing". "They sometimes gain ground, thinking they can make us yield, but you can't count on the Congolese government to give a bonus to killers, rapists and looters," he said.

The fresh fighting in the east of the DRC has caused a new wave of displacement of civilians with many taking refuge in the surrounding towns.

 "The M23's capture of Masisi is likely to give rise to new appetite towards Walikale,” warns Alexis Bahunga, an MP from the province of North Kivu.

“And once they arrive in Walikale, unfortunately, this is likely to create new thinking in the heads of these insurgents and we risk reliving the 1998 situation. We would therefore like to alert the Congolese government to put in place the necessary measures to drive out the M23, who run the risk of plunging the DRC back into chaos."

In the North Kivu conflict, the DRC accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels. The government has vowed to crash the rebellion, even in the face of the recent setbacks.

The M23 wants "direct dialogue" with the government, but Kinshasa has rejected the proposal.

"We will never negotiate with the rebels, even if they manage to seize Kinshasa," President Felix Tshisekedi has said.