The clashes took place in South Kivu, in the town of Kamanyola in Walungu territory, an area bordering Bugarama in Rwanda’s Rusizi District.

According to AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, those killed by rockets fired by the government coalition included a man, a woman, and three children.

Residents of the area said their homes were also destroyed by shelling, and Kanyuka accused government forces of carrying out the attacks, alleging that FARDC and its allies deliberately targeted civilians.

AFC/M23 leaders Corneille Nangaa, Bertrand Bisimwa, and Kanyuka stated that FARDC, together with FDLR, Wazalendo, and Burundian forces, launched the attacks in the hills of Kaziba, Katogota, and Lubarika.

On the other hand, FARDC, through its spokesperson Major General Sylvain Ekenge, claimed that AFC/M23, supported by Rwanda, attacked FARDC positions with the intention of undermining the Washington and Doha peace agreements.

These attacks come at a time when international diplomacy is intensifying efforts to restore stability in eastern Congo, even as some political and security analysts say the fighting is likely to continue and may even escalate.