642 soldiers join Front for the Refoundation of the Nation in DR Congo
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Taarifa
The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo abandoned positions in Baraka and Fizi under bombardment by the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation. The rebel movement says seven officers and 635 soldiers joined its ranks near Nzibira, South Kivu, on 27 October, while the death toll from a drone strike remains uncertain.
Among the officers who joined the FRN were Brigadier General Germain Katanga, nicknamed “Simba”, and Major Dem Twite Kumwimba Jean, a member of the Republican Guard, according to Taarifa. The movement says it will publish the names of other FARDC officers who have allegedly defected to its ranks.
The defections come as fighting continues in eastern DR Congo. Taarifa reports that FRN forces have taken several villages and that a drone strike on an FARDC position in Rurambo, in Uvira territory, caused numerous casualties, although the toll has yet to be confirmed.
The defections add to those of people from Grande Orientale reported on 24 October, and follow the FRN’s announcement on 27 October that it was approaching Uvira. On 30 October, clashes between the FARDC and FRN in North Kivu were also reported.
