Reports indicate that the clashes, which began last week, have affected many villages in the Bukombo groupement, located in Rutshuru Territory, North Kivu Province.

The renewed fighting has claimed the lives of many civilians and forced hundreds of people to flee their homes. Numerous houses have been burned down in several areas, including Buuma and Munguli.

Sources also confirm that around 20 civilians were killed on Saturday, October 12, in Ruza (Tongo groupement) and Mushababwe (Bukombo groupement). However, as of Monday, the exact number of casualties from the latest fighting remains unknown.

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Besides Bukombo and Tongo, clashes between M23 and Wazalendo-affiliated armed groups also erupted last weekend in Lukweti (Masisi) and Kibati (Walikale). These militias include those led by Jean Marie Bonané and the NDC faction commanded by Guidon Mwisa.

On the other hand, reports indicate that after two days of combat, Wazalendo fighters recaptured four positions previously held by the AFC/M23 rebels. However, these M23 fighters, who are said to have government support, later withdrew from the town of Kibati in Luberike groupement (Walikale Territory), which is now once again under M23 control.

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This allowed M23 to reclaim all its former strongholds in Kibati, while the Wazalendo forces reportedly moved westward toward Miba.

Even as peace negotiations are underway to end the conflict in eastern Congo, both M23 and the Congolese government appear to be competing to seize new territories apparently aiming to maintain control if an agreement is eventually reached, according to political analysts.

During a meeting with Congolese nationals living in Belgium, President Félix Tshisekedi stated that the peace agreement process in his country is riddled with falsehoods and criticized the repeated mixing of armed forces, saying it has worsened the conflict rather than resolving it.