Deadly Clash in Eastern DRC: Six Killed In Soldier-Militant Faceoff, Heightening Tensions in Region

By Gad Masereka

A deadly clash between soldiers and pro-government militants in the volatile eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has resulted in at least six fatalities, according to multiple sources on Sunday. The incident unfolded on Saturday afternoon in the village of Mugerwa, approximately 15 kilometers from the city of Goma, under circumstances that remain unclear.

An anonymous security official revealed that a dispute between soldiers and the so-called Wazalendo militiamen escalated into a gunfire exchange, leaving six dead and nine wounded. This incident follows recent clashes with M23 rebels, disrupting months of relative calm in the region. The Tutsi-led M23 group had seized significant territory since late 2021, displacing over one million people.

The ongoing conflict involves M23 rebels confronting the Congolese army and loyal militias, locally known as ‘Wazalendo.’ Details surrounding the recent shootout between soldiers and Wazalendo fighters are murky. Mambo Kawaya, a civil-society leader near Goma, reported six fatalities and ten injuries, while Adolphe Muhire from the DRC’s civil protection service mentioned one soldier, one policeman, and four civilians killed.

The death toll remains provisional, with conflicting figures for the number of injuries from different sources. Independent verification of the attack details was not possible, and a spokesperson for the Congolese army in Goma was not immediately available for comment.

Eastern DRC has long been plagued by militias, a legacy of regional wars in the 1990s and 2000s. Western countries, including the United States and France, have accused Rwanda of supporting the M23, a claim denied by Kigali.