M23 rebels kidnap 52 civilians in eastern Congo: Official

KAMPALA, Uganda

M23 rebels kidnapped 52 civilians Saturday in the Rusekera village in the territory of Rutshuru, located in North Kivu province on eastern Congo, a security officer told Anadolu Agency.

Lieut. Andrew Ruhaka said the rebels attacked the village, causing residents to flee and others were rounded up.

“The 52 people who were rounded up were forced to board a truck and were driven to an unknown place,” he said.

Ruhaka said the M23 rebels seem to be interested in recruiting new fighters since Congo and Ugandan troops began hunting and killing them in the forests in eastern Congo in an operation that started in December 2021.

He said the attack in Rusereka forced residents in neighboring villages to also flee.

The M23 is a group of rebels in eastern Congo fighting the government.

It derived its name from a peace agreement reached with the Congo government and the rebels, who had attacked government troops between 2010 to 2013.

The agreement signed March 23, 2013, was later broken by the rebels.