Since the early morning of Thursday, May 15, heavy fighting erupted between M23 rebels and Wazalendo fighters across several villages in the Buabo and Banyungu groupings, located in Masisi Territory.
According to reports from civilians shared with Radio Okapi, the clashes came in response to an attack by M23-AFC rebels on Wednesday against Wazalendo positions. On Thursday, Wazalendo launched a counteroffensive in an attempt to retake areas they had previously lost.
From around 4:00 AM local time, the region echoed with the sound of heavy and light weapons, particularly near the Showa hills in Banyungu and around Ngwaki and Lwansihe in neighboring Buabo.
Local authorities said that M23 rebels had launched the initial offensive from Masisi’s administrative center, located about 12 km north, pushing Wazalendo fighters out of key strategic positions.
However, Wazalendo’s attempt to retake those villages on Thursday failed.
