Lubwe-Sud bombing

Lubwe-Sud bombing
Part of M23 campaign and Kivu conflict
LocationLubwe-Sud, Bwito Chiefdom, Rutshuru Territory, North Kivu Democratic Republic of the Congo
DateJuly 19, 2023
Deaths9
Injured16
PerpetratorWazalendo and FARDC (per M23

On July 19, 2023, a bomb exploded in Lubwe-Sud, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing nine people and injuring sixteen others. The M23 rebels accused the pro-government Wazalendo of perpetratin g the bombing.

Background

Lubwe-Sud is located in the Bwito Chiefdom, Rutshuru Territory, North Kivu, in an area that is a flashpoint between the Congolese government and the pro-government Wazalendo militia and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebellion.[1] The Tongo group of villages, which includes Lubwe-Sud, was the scene of fighting between the Wazalendo and M23, killing at least 30 people in the week prior to the bombing.[2]

Bombing

The bombing occurred when a civilian picked up a bomb and handed it off to a local militiaman known as Mzalendo.[2] The area where the civilian picked up the bomb had been mined by both sides due to the recent fighting.[2] When the militiaman took the bomb, he accidentally dropped it and it exploded, maiming everyone around.[3] Two people were killed on the spot, and the rest were rushed to the local hospital.[3]

At least nine people were killed from the bombing, and sixteen more were injured.[4] A spokesman for M23 accused the Congolese Army and M23 of bombing the area.[5] Bertrand Bisimwa, the spokesman, said that Congolese-Wazalendo "shelling" was behind the bombing.[5] A local civil society figure, Patrick Nguka, did not accuse anyone of the bombing but lambasted the Congolese government for not doing enough to help it's people.[2]

References

  1. ↑ URN (2023-07-24). "M23 rebels blame Congolese soldiers, Wazalendo militia for North Kivu deaths". The Observer. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "RDC: au moins 9 personnes tuées et une dizaine blessées lors de l'explosion d'une bombe à Tongo (Rutshuru)". Actualite.cd (in French). 2023-07-21. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  3. 1 2 "Nine dead, 16 wounded in bomb blast in eastern DR Congo". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  4. ↑ "DR Congo: Nine killed in North Kivu bomb blast - Counter-IED Report". 2023-07-20. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  5. 1 2 "M23 Blame FARDC, Wazalendo For North Kivu Deaths :". Uganda Radionetwork. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
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