The death toll from bomb blasts that exploded on Thursday at a rally organized by the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel leaders in Bukavu city has risen to 13.
M23 leaders led by Corneille Nangaa Yubeluo and Bertrand Bisimwa had organized a rally on Thursday 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, after the departure of Nangaa and Bisimwa, two bombs exploded. The bombs killed 11 people on the spot and injured others. Explosions dispersed locals who were still gathered at the venue.
On Friday, Bertrand Bisimwa, M23 President, released a statement saying that the number of deaths now stands at 13, according to figures from a hospital.
In a statement, Bisimwa also puts the number of casualties at 72. He says that among the dead are women and children. Bisimwa says that testimonies from the suspects arrested by M23 fighters indicate that the Kinshasa regime had initially planned to place bombs at two fuel stations located at the entrance to Independence Square before changing their mind when M23 deployed massively on the two sites.
Bisimwa also says that more testimonies also say that the government planned to cause numerous deaths among the civilian population as a punitive operation against the residents of Bukavu for having warmly welcomed the soldiers of the Congolese Revolutionary Army (ARC).
In a statement, Bisimwa, however, did not specify how many suspects were arrested. “According to hospital sources, the toll of victims from the terrorist attack organized by Mr. Tshisekedi’s regime at Independence Square has risen, reporting 13 dead and 72 injured, including women and children.
DR Congo’s Presidency on Thursday released a statement blaming the blasts on a foreign army illegally present on Congolese soil.
This is the first explosion hitting a rally of civilians organized by M23 rebels since the start of the insurgency. It has been a norm for M23 to hold rallies with civilians after the conquest of every densely populated area, especially towns.
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.
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.