Thu Feb 27 13:42:08 UTC 2025: ## Bombings Rock Bukavu Rally, Killing 11 Amidst M23 Rebel Control
**Bukavu, DRC** – Eleven people were killed and 65 wounded in a double bombing attack during a rally for the M23 rebel group and its supporters in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on Thursday. The explosions, followed by gunfire, sent panicked attendees fleeing, with videos circulating online showing injured and deceased individuals in the streets.
Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Congo River Alliance, a rebel alliance that includes the M23, confirmed the casualty figures at a press conference. Nangaa, who attended the rally, assured reporters that he and other senior commanders were unharmed. He further alleged that the grenades used were identical to those employed by the Burundian army in Congo, a claim yet to be independently verified.
The rally marked Nangaa’s first public appearance since his forces seized control of Bukavu, the region’s second-largest city, nearly two weeks ago. The M23, accused by UN experts of being backed by Rwanda, has been attempting to project an image of restoring order in captured territories, reopening ports and schools.
However, the group’s recent advance across eastern DRC has caused widespread alarm, resulting in approximately 7,000 deaths and reports of child sexual abuse and recruitment. The escalating conflict fuels fears of a regional war involving neighboring countries, stemming from the lingering effects of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and the ongoing struggle over the DRC’s mineral resources. Rwanda maintains that its actions are defensive, citing threats from a Hutu militia allegedly allied with the Congolese military. The situation represents the gravest escalation in over a decade of conflict in eastern DRC.
First Piper 