Kisoro-The Congolese army has confirmed the death of Major Eric Kiraku Mwisa on the frontline while battling March 23 Movement (M23) rebels in Ruthsuru territory.
Major Mwisa has been acting as security chief for Major General Peter Cirimwami, the commander of Sukola 2 operations in North Kivu.
In his statement issued Monday, General Sylvain Ekenge Bomusa Efomi, the Spokesman for the North Kivu governor, says that the rebels shot Mwisa dead on Sunday evening in Musaga along Bunagana-Rutshuru road, less than 5 kilometers to Uganda-DR Congo border of Bunagana.
“Unfortunately, Major Eric Kiraku Mwisa, the security officer for the Sukola II North Kivu operations commander lost his life in the field of honor in the ambush at the Premidis facilities on the Bunagana road,” said Ekenge in the statement.
Heavy fighting was ongoing in the adjacent areas of Bigega 1 and Bigega 2 when Mwisa met his death. Congolese troops were shelling the rebels who were advancing to capture Bunagana border.
Ekenge says that the aim of the rebels was to occupy Bunagana in order to suffocate Goma city and pile pressure on the Congolese government.
Ekenge says that Mwisa fell into an ambush staged by the rebels and was shot dead.
A Congolese security source told our reporter on condition of anonymity that during fighting on Sunday, two more FARDC soldiers were injured by gunshots and were rushed to Kisoro hospital in Uganda where they received treatment and were taken back. He also says that a woman died in Bweza village on Sunday at around 03:00 PM when a bomb fell on her while fleeing.
On Monday morning, M23 rebels captured Bunagana border, a direct connection to Rushuru and Goma towns following heavy fighting that saw more than 150 FARDC soldiers fleeing to the Ugandan side of the Kisoro district.
Fighting also took place Monday near Bikenge, between the Jomba and Kisigari groupements. Many M23 fighters were also seen patrolling Nyiragongo, towards the border with Rwanda. DR Congo has accused Rwanda of backing the M23 rebels.
On Wednesday, the DR Congo government accused Rwanda of deploying 500 of its Special Forces soldiers in the vicinity of Tchanzu, all dressed in new green-black uniforms and wearing helmets to back up M23 rebels. Both Rwanda and M23 rebels have strongly refuted the accusations.
M23 claims that it is a movement that fights bad leadership in DR Congo based on corruption, xenophobia, and discrimination.
The rebel group accuses FARDC of collaborating with militia groups and the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) to fight them.
Source: URN
