War in the DRC : eight peacekeepers injured in Sake

The United Nations office in the DRC deplores that eight peacekeepers were injured, including one seriously in Sake on Saturday. Bintou Keita, UN representative in the DRC, says soldiers from the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) are fighting alongside the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) against the M23. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

The report was published in a MONUSCO press release on Saturday.

“Ms. Bintou Keita condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the attack against the peacekeepers that occurred on March 16 in Sake. Eight peacekeepers were injured, one of whom was seriously injured,” the document specifies.

According to the press release, the blue helmets have, for several weeks, been deployed as part of Operation Springbok in North Kivu to carry out joint actions with the Congolese army.

Ms. Keita reaffirms that “MONUSCO is engaged alongside the Congolese army to carry out joint and unilateral patrols in order to protect the populations”.

She asks the M23 to lay down its arms and respect the terms of the Luanda (Angola) roadmap.

On Saturday, residents of Sake reported being awakened by heavy explosions and heavy weapon fire as well as bombs. Three of the latter targeted a base hosting Guatemalan soldiers in Mubambiro, according to Mwisha Busanga Leopold, president of the citizen structure of the Kamuronza groupment.

And on Sunday again, violent fighting took place between the FARDC and allies of the M23 not far from Sake. This is particularly on the Lutobogo and Kanve axes, just five kilometers from Mubambiro.

The city of Sake had just spent a few weeks in peace after being retaken by the Congolese army from the hands of the M23.