A tragic incident occurred on Wednesday evening in the conflict-torn region of North Kivu, where an explosive device accidentally detonated in a field, resulting in the loss of nine lives and injuring 16 others. The news was reported by the AFP news agency, and local sources confirmed the heartbreaking incident.
According to Justin Mwangaza, a prominent figure in the local civil society, the explosion was triggered when a civilian found the device and handed it over to a militiaman. The device subsequently detonated, causing immediate casualties and leaving several others in critical condition.
A nurse at a nearby clinic, while confirming the death toll, revealed that two individuals died on the spot, while seven others succumbed to their injuries later. The situation remains dire as some of the wounded are still battling critical conditions, added the nurse.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s eastern region has been grappling with armed conflict for decades, a consequence of historical regional wars that escalated in the 1990s and 2000s. The United Nations has identified as many as 120 armed groups operating in the area, contributing to the ongoing instability.
One of these groups, known as the M23, resurfaced in late 2021 after a period of dormancy and has since seized control of significant parts of North Kivu. Their actions have resulted in the displacement of over one million people, as reported by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
A damning June 2023 report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the M23 of engaging in heinous acts of violence, including murder, rape, and other war crimes during recent months, further exacerbating the already dire humanitarian crisis in the region.
Independent UN experts, along with the DRC government and several Western nations, including the United States and France, have accused Rwanda of actively supporting the M23 despite denials from Kigali.
