A soldier stands guard in Sake, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Feb. 11, 2024. (Photo by Alain Uyakani/Xinhua)
For several weeks, residents of Sake, a city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), have been living under the intensive exchange of heavy weapons fire as fighting flared up between government troops and March 23 Movement (M23) rebels, Xinhua correspondents observed on the ground.
SAKE, DR Congo, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- For several weeks, residents of Sake, a city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), have been living under the intensive exchange of heavy weapons fire as fighting flared up between government troops and March 23 Movement (M23) rebels, Xinhua correspondents observed on the ground.
Located about 20 km from Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, much of which is occupied by the M23, Sake City is considered to be the last barrier for Goma, which was taken by M23 rebels in late 2012.
The DRC army and military partners, such as the Southern African Development Community Force, have deployed heavy artillery pieces to stop the advance of the M23, which now controls several places on the mountains overlooking Sake.
BOMBING INJURIES
As residents who had fled the recent fighting started to gradually return to their homes in Sake, many still shudder at the thought of bombs falling in the city.
On Friday, at least six M23 bombs hit the city, some destroying civilians' houses. On Sunday, another bomb fell in a field on the hill above the Sake shopping center, injuring at least six people.
Since the previous week, part of Goma has been hit by bombs, particularly in the peripheral district of Mugunga, where a school and a market came under attack, causing injuries.
"The M23 rebels, who have had the sole objective of terrorizing the population for several months, are now responsible for these despicable acts against our people," said Ndjike Kaiko Guillaume, spokesperson for the Congolese army in the region.
He was in Sake alongside military governor Peter Chirimwami who was visiting the city Sunday.
"As these rebels suffer daily fire from our force on the battlefield, this is why they choose to attack the vulnerable," Guillaume said.
Holding in his hands the remnants of an explosive device that detonated a few minutes before, the army spokesperson said those injured, who were immediately transferred to Goma, were receiving treatment there.
Military governor of North Kivu province Peter Chirimwami (C, Front) inspects Sake, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Feb. 11, 2024. (Photo by Alain Uyakani/Xinhua)
Last Wednesday, government troops, supported by elements of the United Nations peacekeeping mission, known as MONUSCO, repelled a major assault by M23, who launched its attack on Sake from several positions.
According to a report from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Goma, at least 58 people, including 31 civilians, were injured in that exchange. They were transferred to CBCA Ndosho Hospital in Goma, further burdening the city's already fragile healthcare system.
The ICRC report said civilians and healthcare facilities are increasingly exposed to violent fighting.
"The injured continued to arrive, some transported by motorbikes, others by buses," said Laurent Cresci, head nurse of the ICRC surgical team in Goma, adding that including patients already there before Feb. 7, the team treated 120 injured people, at a facility with an initial capacity of only 64 beds.
"The lack of space to accommodate so many patients is our main challenge," he said.
FEAR OF NEW ATTACKS
Sake residents, apprehensive of more attacks, have to spend their days amid almost constant heavy artillery fire from the DRC military.
About 20 rounds of artillery shells are fired daily from the Mubambiro military base, located at the entrance to Sake, targetting rebel positions in the mountains.
"It is more and more difficult for us to live through this situation with the children. The bombing starts early in the morning and continues throughout the day with loud detonations, sometimes unbearable," Denis Muhima, who once lived in Shasha but later fled to Sake.
Several other families interviewed also complained of trauma to children, who cannot sleep because of the gunfire coming from all sides.
As a result of ongoing conflicts, Sake now hosts more than 80,000 people displaced from different villages in Masisi territory, much of which were also taken by M23 rebels.
The recent attacks on Sake have forced many of those displaced people to flee again to sites around Goma.
The United Nations and several other multinational organizations have spoken of a serious humanitarian crisis in North Kivu and called on the warring parties to stop hostilities immediately and try to find a peaceful solution.
The Kinshasa government, though, said it would not have any form of negotiation with the M23. ■
