DR Congo national army, FARDC and its coalition forces have been accused of bombing civilian territories causing mass displacements in the country’s restive eastern region. Reports from eastern DR Congo indicate that the heavy air strikes started on the morning of November 8 and targeted areas occupied by the M23 rebels, as announced by the latter in a statement. According to M23, the Congolese military used fighter choppers in their recent strikes to bomb areas with high concentration of civilian population, an act the group says is counterproductive and will only exacerbate the humanitarian situation in the area. “The DR Congo government does not want peace and maintains its war option, hence trampling the call for dialogues by the United Nations, African Union and the East African Community,” reads the M23 statement. The New Times could not independently verify the accuracy of the allegations and the Kinshasa government was yet to respond to the allegations by press time. The development comes a day after EAC leaders met in Egypt for a high-level consultative meeting on the security situation in eastern DR Congo. The meeting was held at the sidelines of the ongoing COP27 had called on warring parties to cease hostilities and embark on inclusive dialogues. DR Congo was represented by its Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde. The meeting was attended by Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi who is the current chairperson of the community, President Paul Kagame and their counterparts William Ruto of Kenya and Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania.
