Maj Willy Ngoma, M23’s military spokesman, has spoken about the ongoing fighting in the Masisi territory, which was launched by the government forces(FARDC) in collaboration with armed groups including the FDLR, on October 1, 2023 , after month they agreed on the cessation of hostilities .
In an interview with Rwandatribune.com on the evening of October 2, 2023, Maj Will Ngoma, said that although the FARDC gathered fighters from the FDLR, Nyatura, Mai Mai and mercenaries in large numbers with heavy weapons, nothing it will change. Even that the M23 does not expect to withraw.
“We know that they have gathered all the armed groups including the FDLR, Nyatura, Mai Mai with the latest heavy equipment they bought from China and Russia, but it will not change anything because M23 does not expect to lose even one cm of land.” He said
“We made a withraw when we agreed to release the areas we had captured and left them under the control of the EAC forces in order to comply with the decisions of Luanda and Nairobi, but the surprising thing is that 90% of the areas we had left under the EAC force, returned to the hands of the FARDC along with armed groups. So this time we don’t expect to withraw but we have to endure.” He added
Maj Willy Ngoma, warned the government forces and other armed groups they work with, that if they continue to engage in the fighting, they will face a tragedy that they have never imagined.
He went on to say that “the M23 fighters, have valid reasons they are fighting for and that is what makes them unable to deviate from their commitment, until they achieve all their goals, while the FARDC and the armed groups they are working with, including the FDLR, are busy with killing and looting the property o Congolese who speak Kinyarwanda, especially those from the Tutsi tribe.
On October 1, 2023 at nine o’clock (3:00 p.m.), the FARDC together with armed groups such as the FDLR and another armed group known as “Wazalendo”, launched heavy attacks on the M23 rebels in areas of Kilorirwe, Busumba, Kibarizo and Elsewhere in Masisi territory. The fighting is still going on as we write this article.
Claude HATEGEKIMANA
Rwandatribune.com