At least 11 killed, 65 injured in 2 blasts at M23 rebels rally in eastern DR Congo

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) – Two bombs exploded on Thursday at an M23 rebel rally in Bukavu, the city captured by the armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing at least 11 people and injuring 65.

The blasts at Independence Square in Bukavu occurred shortly after Corneille Nangaa, the coordinator of the Alliance Fleuve, a rebel alliance that includes M23 rebels, spoke to the audience, according to Bertrand Bisimwa, the head of M23's political wing.

"The attack in Bukavu killed 11 people, including a woman,” Corneille Nangaa, the coordinator of the Alliance Fleuve rebel alliance, told reporters in Bukavu, adding that “65 people were injured, with six in critical condition.”

Nangaa said he and the “other leaders” escaped unharmed.

Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, in a statement issued by his office, condemned the attack as a "heinous terrorist act" and blamed it on "a foreign army illegally present on Congolese soil," referring to the Rwandan army.

Tshisekedi said he is saddened to learn of the deaths of several compatriots as a result of explosions during a forced rally in Bukavu, South Kivu province's capital, according to the statement.

However, the M23 blamed the explosions on government forces and expressed their "deep and sincere condolences to the population of Bukavu."

The M23 group has increased its territorial control in eastern Congo since December, seizing the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu.

Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of backing the M23 rebels and sending forces to eastern Congo when the latest offensive began, which Kigali has repeatedly denied.

Fighting in eastern Congo has already led to the deaths of more than 7,000 people this year, Congo's Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka told the UN Human Rights Council on Monday.