Soldiers flee to Uganda in fresh DR Congo clashes

Dozens of soldiers from the Democratic Republic of Congo have crossed into Uganda after the M23 rebels blocked the main road to Rutshuru.

Ugandan army spokesperson Brig Gen Felix Kulaigye told the BBC that the soldiers were being received at a Ugandan army barracks at the border town of Bunagana.

A source told the BBC that the some of the Congolese soldiers had arrived in military vehicles while others crossed on foot.

Reports indicate that the M23 rebels overran the Congolese side of Bunagana on Monday morning.

Pictures of overturned armoured vehicles, believed to belong to the Congolese army – the FARDC, have also been shared on social media.

UN agencies say that more than 30,000 people in the Rutshuru territory of North Kivu province fled their homes over the weekend.

Hundreds have been internally displaced while others have crossed the border to Uganda.

The Ugandan side of Bunagana border town is crowded with people who have fled their homes due to the fighting over the last couple of days.

Some had wanted to return home on Monday morning, but even more people are now fleeing the fighting.

Fighting between the government forces and the army has intensified over the last couple of weeks, after the Congolese government designated the M23 as a terrorist group and refused their calls for a bilateral ceasefire or peace negotiations.

DR Congo accuses Rwanda of supporting the group made up of mainly ethnic Congolese Tutsi, but the government in Kigali has continually denied these accusations.

Source: BBC