11 Dead, 65 injured as Bombs Explode at M23 Rally in Bukavu
BY SPURB ERNEST
M23 leaders led by Corneille Nangaa Yubeluo and Bertrand Bisimwa had organized a rally at the Place de l’Indépendance grounds to celebrate 10 days occupation of the city and to assure locals of cooperation and total security. The rally had attracted hundreds of locals.
11 people have died and 65 others injured after bombs exploded on Thursday at a rally organized by the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel leaders in Bukavu city, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
M23 leaders led by Corneille Nangaa Yubeluo and Bertrand Bisimwa had organized a rally at the Place de l’Indépendance grounds to celebrate 10 days occupation of the city and to assure locals of cooperation and total security. The rally had attracted hundreds of locals.
However, a few minutes after the departure of Nangaa and Bisimwa, two bombs exploded. The bombs killed people on the spot and injured others. Explosions dispersed locals who were still gathered at the venue. Casualties were rushed to health facilities.
After the incident, Lawrence Kanyuka, M23 political spokesperson, released a statement sending condolences to the deceased and the casualties. He also condemned the act, accusing the government army and accomplices of being behind it.
Nanga and Bisimwa later held a press conference and confirmed that 11 people died on the spot and 65 others were injured. According to Nangaa and Bisimwa, among the injured include six who are critically injured.
Bisimwa, M23 President, also released a statement claiming that preliminary investigation indicates that the bombs belong to Burundian soldiers deployed in South Kivu to fight alongside Armed Forces of Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) soldiers and militia coalition.
“This Thursday, February 27, 2025, a few minutes after the meeting, the forces of evil dropped bombs on the civilian population gathered at the meeting site, causing several deaths and injuries, all innocent civilians. We condemn this barbarity of the regime in place, which has reached an unacceptable level. For several days, the Kinshasa regime has been amusing itself by dropping bombs, using drones, on heavily populated villages in South Kivu during the ceasefire period, far from the front lines.. The initial investigations conducted at the crime scene of the Kinshasa regime indicate that the explosives used in the terrorist attack are those employed by the Burundian Army, in its operations in the eastern region of the DRC”, claims Bisimwa.
This was the first explosion hitting a rally of civilians organized by M23 since the start of the insurgency.
The insurgency resumed in 2022, led by Bertrand Bisimwa and Emmanuel Sultan Makenga. Since then, the insurgency has left many parts of the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces in the hands of the rebels. In August 2024, Bisimwa and Makenga in August 2024 allied with Nangaa to amplify the insurgency against the government.
The DR Congo government has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting M23, a claim that both Rwanda and M23 deny. The rebels assert that their fight is against corruption, xenophobia and discrimination within the DR Congo’s leadership.
