Congolese refugees fleeing into Rwanda described neighbors being slaughtered and children lost amid the chaos, as renewed fighting erupted despite a peace deal brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump.
“I have 10 children, but I am here with only three,” said Akilimali Mirindi, 40, speaking to Agence France-Presse (AFP) at the Nyarushishi refugee camp in Rwanda’s Rusizi district. “I don’t know what happened to the other seven, or to their father.”
About 1,000 Congolese have sought refuge at the camp after fresh clashes flared in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group, which has seized large swaths of eastern Congo over the past year, has intensified its advance, capturing another key city, Uvira.
Thousands have fled as civilians are again caught in the crossfire between the M23, Congolese forces and their allies.
