(Reuters) – Democratic Republic of Congo’s government and Rwandan-backed M23 rebels traded blame on Friday for explosions at a rally in the rebel-held eastern city of Bukavu that killed 13 people and wounded scores.
The finger-pointing over Thursday’s incident has further inflamed tensions in eastern Congo, where a rebel advance this year has drawn in neighbouring armies, raising fears of a regional war.
Congo’s army said Rwandan troops and rebels fired rockets and grenades into a crowd gathered on Thursday in Bukavu’s central square for a speech by one of M23’s leaders.
“The Rwandan army and its (proxies) bombed and fired live ammunition at the civilian population,” Congo’s interior ministry said in a statement posted on X.
A Rwandan government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kigali denies supporting M23.
Corneille Nangaa, leader of a rebel alliance that includes M23, blamed Congo’s president, Felix Tshisekedi. Nangaa said on Thursday the grenades were the same type used by Burundi’s army, which is supporting Congolese forces.
Reuters could not independently verify this. Burundi’s army spokesman said none of its soldiers were in Bukavu, without addressing the grenade allegation.
Two witnesses told Reuters they saw an attacker try to fire a grenade at a convoy of rebel leaders but miss his target, instead killing people gathered at the rally.
“The grenade exploded too soon,” one of the witnesses said. Both said the blast killed the attacker.
Bukavu residents volunteered on Friday to donate blood for the wounded after hearing blood stocks were depleted.
A medical source said on Thursday the city’s general hospital was treating 68 people for injuries. Congo’s interior ministry said “nearly 100” had been seriously wounded.
“We were invited to come and give our blood after the problem that hit our brothers yesterday, so they can find life again,” said blood donor Augustin Mihigo.
Relatives of victims waited to identify those killed although the hospital said it would not release any bodies on Friday. Grieving families were told to leave phone numbers so they could be contacted.
“They tell us authorisation hasn’t been given yet,” said Jean-Paul Mulagizi, whose brother was killed. “Will it come today, tomorrow or the day after? We have no certainty.”
PEACE EFFORTS
International sanctions, renewed investigations by the International Criminal Court and Africa-led peace negotiations have failed to halt the advance by the rebels, who have captured eastern Congo’s two major cities, Goma and Bukavu.
Since January, about 7,000 people have been killed and almost half a million people left without shelter after 90 displacement camps were destroyed in the fighting in eastern Congo, the government says.
The U.N. refugee agency said on Friday 60,000 people had fled into neighbouring Burundi in the past two weeks.
The United States last week sanctioned a Rwandan minister, and Britain threatened to pause bilateral aid and impose other diplomatic sanctions on Rwanda unless it withdrew its troops from Congo.
“The sanctions, they have started but they are not enough. The proof is that the Rwandan army is still there,” said Congo’s communications minister, Patrick Muyaya.
Kigali says its forces are acting in self-defence against Congolese troops and allied armed groups, it says, have joined forces with Rwandan Hutu rebels – remnants of Rwandan soldiers and militias responsible for the country’s 1994 genocide.
The president of Congo’s regional ally Burundi said on Thursday a negotiated solution remained possible.
But a planned meeting of ministers from Southern and East African blocs that had been due to discuss a prospective ceasefire plan on Friday was postponed, said two diplomats, a Congolese minister and a source in Congo’s president’s office.
The blocs are looking into the possibility of deploying troops to secure areas under M23 rebel control, according to a document seen by Reuters.
(Reporting by Congo newsroom; Additional reporting by Hereward Holland in Nairobi and Emma Farge in Geneva; Writing by Hereward Holland and Joe Bavier; Editing by Silvia Aloisi, Alex Richardson and Timothy Heritage)
