Attack on humanitarian convoy in the unstable east of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Other sources told AFP that the attack left two people dead.

“Tearfund strongly condemns the attack on the humanitarian aid workers who are working tirelessly for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo,” the statement said.

The convoy was leaving a combat zone and heading north when it was attacked near the town of Butembo in the Lubero region by youths who suspected rebel infiltration, local sources said.

North Kivu province has been rocked by violence since 2021, when the M23 resumed its armed campaign in the region.

The charity said its vehicles were burned and destroyed in the attack.

According to a humanitarian source, five vehicles carrying about fifteen people, all Congolese citizens, were set on fire.

“We call on all parties to respect and protect aid workers and ensure their safety as they carry out their vital mission,” Tearfund said.

At the end of last week, the Rwandan-backed M23 was able to further increase its influence in North Kivu and take over more towns.

Over the weekend, the group captured the strategically important town of Kanyabayonga, which is considered the gateway to the major trading centers of Butembo and Beni.

Other towns near Kanyabayonga have also been captured by the M23, officials and security sources say.

On Monday, clashes broke out between the M23 and Congolese forces north of Kirumba, which the rebels captured on Sunday, a local civil society member said.

At least four civilians were also killed further south in the Masisi area – also in North Kivu – where fighting broke out, a local administrative source said.

Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of supporting the Tutsi-led rebel group M23, which Kigali denies.

The mineral-rich east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been plagued by fighting between local and foreign armed groups for 30 years, with rich roots stretching back to the regional wars of the 1990s.

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