ISTANBUL

M23 rebels recaptured two villages in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province on Thursday after heavy clashes with the army and allied Wazalendo militia, a local media outlet reported.

The villages of Kasenyi and Luke in Masisi territory fell after the rebels mounted a counteroffensive on Wednesday, a day after losing them, Actualite.cd news website reported, citing security and civilian sources who said fighters were reinforced from neighboring Rutshuru Territory.

Residents have reportedly begun fleeing toward safer areas, and no official casualty toll from the fighting was immediately available.

The surge in fighting follows the Congolese army’s announcement on Tuesday that it killed Willy Ngoma, the M23 rebel group’s military spokesperson, during operations in the eastern part of the country.

Ngoma was reportedly killed in a military drone strike near the mining town of Rubaya in Masisi.

The M23, a faction of the rebel Congo River Alliance (AFC), has been at the center of the conflict in eastern Congo.

Since the rebel group resurfaced in late 2021, it has scored a series of battlefield victories, capturing several strategic towns in eastern provinces, including the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu early in 2025.

Kinshasa, the UN and Western nations accuse Rwanda of supporting the group, which Kigali denies.

Despite an Angolan-brokered ceasefire declared this month effective Feb. 18, clashes intensified between government forces and AFC/M23 rebels in recent days in eastern Congo, displacing thousands of people from their homes, according to civil society groups.

There have been counteraccusations of the ceasefire violations.