At least 11 dead and scores injured in Congo after blasts at M23 rebel
leaders' rally, rebels say
[February 28, 2025]
By JANVIER BARHAHIGA and MONIKA PRONCZUK
BUKAVU, Congo (AP) — At least 11 people were killed and scores injured
Thursday when explosions in the eastern Congo city of Bukavu struck a
rally held by leaders of the M23 rebel group, which took control of the
city earlier this month.
Rebel leaders blamed the bombing on Congo's government and said
attackers were among those killed in the blasts, with conflicting
reports among rebels and local officials about the number of attackers
and victims. Congo’s president blamed the attack on unspecified
“foreign” forces.
“The attack caused 11 deaths and verifications are underway. The author
of the attack is among the victims,” Corneille Nangaa, leader of the
Congo River Alliance (AFC), which includes the M23, told reporters.
“There are 65 injured, six of whom are seriously injured and are
currently being treated in the operating room.”
He said that “following today’s unfortunate incident, we are obliged to
react.”
Leaders of the M23 rebel group, including Nangaa, were meeting residents
when the explosions occurred in the central part of Bukavu. Video and
photos shared on social media showed a crowd fleeing the mass rally in
Bukavu and bloodied bodies on the ground.
M23 accused the Congolese authorities of orchestrating the attack.
“We are accusing and condemning vigorously the criminal regime of
Kinshasa, which … just implemented its plan of exterminating civilian
populations,” AFC said in a statement. “This attack caused several
deaths, including a few terrorists from Kinshasa and some injured. Two
of them were immediately apprehended by our services."
“This cowardly and barbaric act will not be without consequences,” it
added.
‘Change and development’
Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi called the attack "a heinous
terrorist act that was perpetrated by a foreign army illegally present
on Congolese soil.”
The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda,
according to U.N. experts, and at times have vowed to march as far as
Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, over 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away.
Jean Samy, deputy president of the civil society Forces Vives of South
Kivu, told The Associated Press that the attack was “a sabotage.”
“Until now, we do not know where these grenades came from," he said by
phone. “We have already recorded more than 13 deaths and serious
injuries who will have to have their hands and legs amputated. The
perpetrators of this act are still unknown.”
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In this video frame grab, people assist victims after two explosions
hit a meeting of M23 rebel group leaders and residents in Bukavu,
eastern Congo, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Janvier Barhahiga)
Nangaa was among leaders leaving the podium when two blasts rocked
the scene, according to a journalist present at the rally. Nangaa
had earlier told the rally that M23 was bringing “change and
development” to their city.
Three-week offensive
Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have swept through the region seizing key
cities and killing some 3,000 people in the most significant
escalation of conflict in over a decade.
In a lightning three-week offensive, the M23 took control of eastern
Congo’s main city Goma and seized the second largest city, Bukavu.
The region is rich in gold and coltan, a key mineral for the
production of capacitors used in most consumer electronics such as
laptops and smartphones.
Rwanda has accused Congo of enlisting ethnic Hutu fighters
responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda of minority Tutsis and
moderate Hutus.
M23 says it’s fighting to protect Tutsis and Congolese of Rwandan
origin from discrimination and wants to transform Congo from a
failed state to a modern one. Analysts have called those pretexts
for Rwanda’s involvement.
‘We stand at a crossroads’
On Thursday, Congo's authorities and the U.N. said $2.54 billion was
needed to fund humanitarian assistance in the country this year.
“This funding is crucial to deliver lifesaving assistance to 11
million people – including 7.8 million internally displaced persons,
one of the highest displacement figures globally – out of 21.2
million Congolese affected by multiple crises: armed conflict,
natural disasters, and epidemics,” the U.N. said in a statement.
“All warning signals are flashing red," Bruno Lemarquis, the U.N.
humanitarian coordinator for Congo said. “We stand at a crossroads.
Without increased international mobilization, humanitarian needs
will skyrocket, regional stability will be further jeopardized, and
our capacity to respond will be severely compromised."
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