According to hospital sources, the death toll from "the terrorist attack" at a rebel rally in eastern DR Congo's city of Bukavu, on Thursday, February 27, has risen to 13 dead and 72 injured, including women and children, according to a top AFC/M23 leader.
ALSO READ: M23 vows retaliation after explosives kill people at massive rally in Bukavu
The rebels on Thursday vowed that "this cowardly and barbaric act will not go unpunished" after explosives at a massive rebel rally in Bukavu, the capital of DR Congo's South Kivu Province, instantly killed 11 people and injured more than 50 others.
Pas surprenant le silence complice de @UN_BintouKeita et de tous les donneurs de leçons face à l'attaque terroriste contre les civils à Bukavu, perpétrée par le terroriste TSHILOMBO. Le monde voit enfin ce que nous dénonçons depuis toujours. Nous éliminerons la menace à la source-- Lawrence KANYUKA (@LawrenceKanyuka) February 27, 2025
Bertrand Bisimwa, a deputy rebel leader, later announced that the first elements of the testimony of arrested suspects indicate that the Kinshasa regime had initially planned to plant bombs at two fuel stations located at the entrance to the Place de l'Indépendance, a prominent public square located in the heart of Bukavu, "before changing its mind when our soldiers deployed massively to these two sites."
'Punitive operation against inhabitants of Bukavu'
Bisimwa indicated that the Kinshasa regime had "planned to cause several deaths among the civilian population as a punitive operation against the inhabitants of the city of Bukavu for having given a warm welcome to the soldiers of the Congolese Revolutionary Army, ARC."
ALSO READ: M23 are no terrorists, the Congolese army is - say Bukavu residents
On Thursday, AFC/M23 extended its "deepest and most sincere" condolences to the people of Bukavu following "the terrorist attack", accusing Tshisekedi "and his accomplices" for the attack.
L'AFC/M23 présente ses profondes et sincères condoléances à la population de Bukavu suite à l'attentat terroriste perpétré à la Place du 24 ce jeudi 27 février 2025 par Monsieur Felix Tshisekedi et ses complices. pic.twitter.com/gKdc0X1bTL-- Lawrence KANYUKA (@LawrenceKanyuka) February 27, 2025
"We strongly accuse and condemn the criminal regime in Kinshasa, which, after spreading terrorist messages on social networks and WhatsApp groups of former governor [Jean Jacques] Purusi throughout Wednesday, February 26, 2025, proceeded with the planned extermination of the civilian population," read part of a rebel statement posted on X.
ALSO READ: What is the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) rebellion all about?
Parusi fled before the rebels moved south and eventually captured Bukavu, on February 15. The rebels said the "order to massacre the people of Bukavu" was given by Tshitsekedi following a meeting with Parusi.
"This cowardly and barbaric act will not go unpunished. We call on the international community, the European Union (EU), the African Union, the East African Community (EAC), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to take all necessary measures in response to this heinous act by the Kinshasa regime.
"We urge the resilient people of Bukavu to remain calm and go about their daily activities in peace. The AFC/M23 is committed to taking all necessary measures to ensure their security and prevent any future threats."
The meeting in Bukavu was presided over by rebel leader Corneille Nangaa and his deputies.
ALSO READ: Drones, MONUSCO intelligence used in Minembwe, Uvira civilian massacres - warns M23
A few hours after the meeting started, rebel spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka posted a short video, on X, showing a massive crowd that turned up in the city centre.
La population de #Bukavu a répondu massivement au meeting populaire de l'AFC/M23 ce 27/02/2025, réaffirmant son soutien à la vision de paix, de justice et de reconstruction prônée par le coordonnateur Corneil Nangaa. pic.twitter.com/ZCdq1lNcV3-- Lawrence KANYUKA (@LawrenceKanyuka) February 27, 2025
Afterwards, videos on social media showed a number of people lying down, dead, and others injured after the attack. Initial reports later indicated that 11 people died instantly while there were more than 60 others injured.
Moments after the attack, Bisimwa pointed an accusing finger at neighbouring Burundi. Preliminary investigations indicated that the explosives used in the terrorist attack belong to the Burundian army, he said. More than 10,000 Burundian troops are part of Congolese government army coalition that is fighting the rebels.
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The Congolese army coalition also includes FDLR, a DR Congo-based terrorist militia founded by remnants of the masterminds of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, European mercenaries, South Africa-led SADC forces, and a loose alliance of local militia groups called Wazalendo.
#Urgent Barbarie du régime de Monsieur Tshisekedi à Bukavu. Le régime de Monsieur Tshisekedi vient de mettre en exécution la menace qui circule depuis hier sur les réseaux sociaux visant la population civile qui participerait au meeting de l'AFC/M23, jour prévu, selon les... pic.twitter.com/uvAb93XKN4-- Bertrand Bisimwa (@bbisimwa) February 27, 2025
The AFC/M23 rebellion which has, in the past few months, seized swathes of territory and integrated into its ranks hundreds of government soldiers who surrendered is fighting for governance that supports basic human rights, secures all Congolese citizens, and addresses the root causes of conflict in lawless DR Congo.
ALSO READ: Why genocide ideology doesn't dissolve three decades after dispersion of genocidaires
On February 8, an extra-ordinary joint EAC-SADC Heads of State and Government meeting held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and taking positive action to allow meaningful dialogue so as to end the escalating insecurity in eastern DR Congo.
ALSO READ: Rwanda will never accept to relive dark past due to DR Congo-backed genocidaires
But as the security situation in South Kivu deteriorated amid reports of violence, looting, and abuses propagated by the Congolese army coalition, the rebels moved again and, first captured the strategic airport of Kavumu, before moving south to capture Bukavu, on February 15.
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Earlier, residents were appealing to the rebels to quickly move in, and secure the city.
ALSO READ: Over 2,100 police officers, 890 Congolese soldiers join M23 in Bukavu
Since January, the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) have suffered major losses in the war against AFC/M23 rebels.
Concerned by the international community's non-stop glossing over issues, Kigali last week stressed the need for the United Nations Security Council to focus on the root causes of eastern DR Congo's endless predicament as well as taking Rwanda's security concerns seriously so as to find a sustainable solution to the conflict.
ALSO READ: Rwanda reiterates UN Security Council's need to address root causes of DR Congo crisis
On Friday, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution that condemned the ongoing offensive and advance of AFC/M23 rebels in their country's east but made no mention of the fundamental issues including the fact that a genocidal ideology, and agenda, remains central to the crisis.
Kigali has, so often, explained that growing violent ethnic extremism in the region continues, particularly affecting Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese communities, a situation that led to the M23 rebellion years ago. President Paul Kagame has described the conflict in DR Congo as an ethnic war in which a section of Congolese citizens is denied its rights, and Rwanda is scapegoated.
