The security situation in Rutshuru territory, North Kivu, continues to worsen. A recent surge in violence between Tuesday and Wednesday, June 24, saw at least ten individuals abducted, two lives lost, and numerous properties looted.
These alarming incidents, documented across at least six localities, involved kidnappings, highway robberies, armed home invasions, and direct clashes between various armed groups. There is an urgent appeal for swift action to restore stability in this volatile part of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
On Wednesday morning, between 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM, a minimum of seven individuals were abducted along the Kibirizi-Rwindi route near Butindiri, and also on the Kibirizi-Kibingu axis. Among those targeted were three motorcycle taxi drivers and their passengers. The perpetrators also seized at least 18 packages of fish being transported from Vitshumbi. The identities of those responsible for these abductions remain unknown.
The previous day, three more people had been kidnapped. Two were taken during an armed incursion into a home in the Buzito neighborhood of Kiwanja, while the third was seized in the Majengo area of Kibirizi.
Also on Tuesday, a commercial truck carrying goods for traders came under attack on the Kanyabayonga-Rwindi road. Armed individuals opened fire, forcing the driver to stop the vehicle before making off with its cargo. Fortunately, no casualties were reported in this particular assault.
That same day, a 22-year-old woman and her child tragically died in Kiseguro village. They were fatally struck by stray bullets during clashes between AFC-M23 rebels and FDLR combatants.
Separately, the Congolese Red Cross reported the deaths of two of its volunteers, who were killed on June 16 in Walungu territory, South Kivu. The victims were supervising drinking water supply projects in Kakumba village when they were ambushed.
Edgard Mateso, the national president of the Red Cross in the DRC, strongly condemned this assault, characterizing it as a severe breach of international humanitarian principles. He emphasized that this tragedy highlights the persistent dangers faced by humanitarian workers operating in the eastern part of the country.
