Sources within M23 Congolese rebels inform AfroAmerica Network that the Congolese rebels reinforced by Rwandan Defense Forces(RDF) are advancing on Masisi and Lubero territories.
According to the sources, the troops advancing on Lubero are under the command of General Sikuli Lafontaine and Colonel Kahasha. Colonel Kahasha defected from the Congolese Army FARDC and left his position in Beni with a unit composed of close to between 100- 300 soldiers on January 25, 2012 (see our article: CNDP Quits FARDC as Joseph Kabila Asks Paul Kagame to Arrest General Ntaganda). He spent a few weeks with General Lafontaine in Southern Lubero, before joining the M23 command posts in Rutshuru. For the last month he has been staying in the Rutshuru area while his troops were being trained by Rwandan Defense Forces special forces.
Meanwhile, an advanced commando of Rwandan Defense Forces and M23 joined the Mai-Mai Raia-Mutomboki in Walikale and briefly seized the city of Walikale last week (see our article M23 and Allies Reach Walikale; Progress Towards Kisangani; FARDC General Ruhorimbere to Defect of July 17, 2012. FARDC troops reinforced by MONUSCO forces eventually retook the city of Walikale pushing the Rai-Mutomboki southward into South-Kivu. By seizing Walikale, the advanced commando of Rwandan Defense Forces and M23 and the Raia Mutomboki had two objectives: to test the road to Kisangani and to draw FARDC troops from the Masisi area in preparation of the major offensive underway.
The sources added that on the Northern front, General Lafontaine and Colonel Kahasha will link up with General Ruhorimbere and the troops of Mbusa Nyamwisi further North, closer to DRC-Uganda border.
In their push towards Masisi, the M23 rebels and Rwandan Defense Forces attacked, on Tuesday July 24, 2012, the towns of Kibumba, North Kivu and conquered the towns of Rugari, Bisoke, Ngiko, Kakoro. By Tuesday night, they had reached the town of Kanzenze and Kingi on the road towards Masisi center.
According to other sources in the area, M23 and Rwandan Defense Forces have surrounded FARDC troops in the towns of Rumangabo where an important FARDC military base in located.
The M23 and FARDC rebels have unsuccessfully tried to overtake the military base but appear to have decided to leave it for now. As we write the story, heavy gunfire was being heard by our sources.
©2012 Afroamerica Network
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Let us pray for the peace of Congo and the region of Great Lakes of Africa. Let us unite in peace instead of fighting. Whatever devides us is nothing compare to what is uniting us. We are brothers and sisters, we married into each other and we speak same languages. Please stop fighting. We have enough poverty, deseases and illiteracy, with little medical care. Let us unite and deal with these problems first. Who benefits when we kill each other? Isn’t the man wh0 devided us back in Berlin Summit of 1885?
As we speak, it has come to our attention that even the ugandan and burundian soldiers have joined in their M23 creation to invade ou eastern part of the country in order to declare a secessionist state calles “Congo Oriental”. The people of DR Congo are not sleeping. We ask all the medias to stop talking of rebellion. The M23 and their allies are all foreigners. Our country is again a victim of rwando-ugando-burundian aggression. Please stop talking about rebellion!!!
To your information Rumangabo has fallen to FRDC, the Congolese army.
The M23 troops has been pushed back and lost a lot of territories due to the heavy bombardments of FARDC and MONUSCO helicopters.
This idiot war of occupation will take long but let see at the end who will win it, national citizens or foreign invaders?