Violence surge in Rutshuru territory raises alarms

The ongoing deterioration of security in Rutshuru territory, North Kivu, continues to escalate, with at least ten individuals abducted, two killed, and multiple properties looted between Tuesday and Wednesday, June 24. Local humanitarian organizations have reported these incidents, which have spread across six localities.

widespread violence disrupts civilian life

Reports detail a surge in brazen attacks, including armed incursions into homes, roadside robberies, and clashes between armed factions. Humanitarian groups are urgently calling for immediate measures to restore safety in this eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

kidnappings and armed robberies escalate

On Wednesday morning, between 9 AM and 10 AM, at least seven people were abducted along the Kibirizi-Rwindi route near Butindiri and the Kibirizi-Kibingu axis. Among the victims were three motorcycle taxi drivers and their passengers. The assailants also seized 18 crates of fish transported from Vitshumbi. The identities of the attackers remain unknown.

On the previous day, three additional individuals were kidnapped. Two were taken during an armed incursion into a home in the Buzito neighborhood of Kiwanja, while the third was captured in the Majengo neighborhood of Kibirizi.

attacks target commercial and civilian targets

On Tuesday, armed men ambushed a commercial truck traveling the Kanyabayonga-Rwindi route. Gunfire forced the driver to halt the vehicle, after which the attackers seized the cargo. Fortunately, no casualties were reported in this incident.

Meanwhile, in the village of Kiseguro, a 22-year-old woman and her child were fatally wounded by stray bullets during clashes between AFC-M23 rebels and FDLR fighters.

humanitarian workers face mounting dangers

The humanitarian crisis deepens as the Red Cross of the Democratic Republic of the Congo announced the deaths of two volunteers on June 16 in the Walungu territory, South Kivu. The victims were supervising potable water infrastructure projects in the village of Kakumba when they were attacked.

Edgard Mateso, the national president of the Red Cross in the DRC, condemned the attack in strong terms, labeling it a severe breach of international humanitarian principles. He emphasized that this tragedy underscores the persistent risks faced by aid workers in eastern Congo.