THAILAND CARRIES OUT AIRSTRIKES ON CAMBODIA BORDER AMID RISING TENSIONS. (PHOTO).
Bomb blast kills more than 30 in eastern Congo following army clash with pro-government militia
A bomb explosion in eastern Congo killed more than 30 people and injured at least 20 others Sunday evening after clashes between the Congolese army and a pro-government militia, despite a recent U.S.-brokered peace deal aimed at ending the conflict. The blast occurred in the town of Sange in South Kivu, residents and civil society leaders said, following a dispute between the FARDC, the Congolese army, and Wazalendo, a militia assisting the army in fighting insurgents.
Witnesses described chaos as soldiers from the front lines attempted to enter Sange. “Once in Sange, they were ordered not to proceed, but some disagreed. That’s when they started shooting at each other, and then a bomb exploded, killing many people,” said civil society leader Faraja Mahano Robert. Many residents fled the area for safety, primarily toward neighboring Burundi, while clashes continued Monday, leaving additional army personnel dead and civilians fearing for their lives.
The violence highlights the ongoing instability in eastern Congo, where over 100 armed groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23, compete for control over mineral-rich territory near the Rwandan border. The region has seen one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced. Despite the peace agreement signed in Washington last week by Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, and U.S. President Donald Trump, fighting persists. Tshisekedi accused Rwanda in parliament on Monday of violating the pact and destabilizing Congolese institutions while exploiting natural resources.
The latest attack follows months of intense fighting, including M23’s seizure of key cities Goma and Bukavu earlier this year. U.N. experts say M23 forces are backed by approximately 4,000 Rwandan troops and have at times threatened to advance toward Kinshasa, roughly 1,600 kilometers to the west. Residents continue to call on the government to end the violence, noting the difficulty in distinguishing between combatants and civilians amid the ongoing hostilities.
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