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Rebels seize Bweremana city in eastern DR Congo — report

On Tuesday, rebels took control of Minova, an important commercial and industrial center with a population of more than 50,000

PRETORIA, January 22. /TASS/. Rebels from the March 23 Movement seized control of the city of Bweremana in eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the local news website Actualite reported.

The town was captured last week, according to the report. Intense fighting between the rebel group, also known as M23, and regular military has been going on in the east of the country for almost a month.

On Tuesday, rebels took control of Minova, an important commercial and industrial center with a population of more than 50,000. They also control a major port on Lake Kivu near Minova, a transport hub for supplies to Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province with a population of 2 million.

The most intense fighting is now taking place in the Kalehe District of the South Kivu province. Over the past few days, 178,000 people have fled the fighting in the region, according to Actualite.

The rebels aim to reach the outskirts of Goma, the Congolese radio station Okapi reported. Attempts by M23 units to reach Goma from the west were stopped by government forces near the town of Sake. The rebels are now trying to reach Goma from the south. Goma is located on the shores of Lake Kivu near the Rwandan border.

The March 23 Movement was created in 2012 by defectors from the Congolese army. M23 members, most of them Tutsi, began fighting in eastern DRC in January 2021. They have since then captured several towns and more than 100 villages in North Kivu. The DRC government accuses Rwanda of supporting the rebels.