FRN fighting moves closer to Shabunda in South Kivu
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Kivu Morning Post
Fighting between the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation and the Congolese army, backed by the Wazalendo, is moving closer to Shabunda after several days of clashes in South Kivu. OCHA estimates that more than 323,000 people were displaced between 6 and 9 November, reports Kivu Morning Post.
Fighting between fighters from the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN) and the Congolese army backed by the Wazalendo continued on Wednesday 11 November around Chaminunu, in the Kalonge grouping, and was moving closer to Shabunda territory in South Kivu. The alert was issued by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
About 54,000 households, or more than 323,000 people, were displaced between 6 and 9 November in the health zones of Miti-Murhesa, in Kabare territory, and Bunyakiri and Kalonge, in Kalehe territory, according to initial UN estimates. OCHA said changes in the front lines had led to several successive displacements of displaced people and host families.
Displaced people are being housed in schools, places of worship and some health facilities, while others have taken refuge in forested areas and around Kahuzi-Biega National Park, where they are exposed to bad weather and protection risks, according to OCHA.
The clashes began on 6 November along the Miti-Civanga-Kalonge-Bunyakiri axis before spreading to several localities in Kabare and Kalehe, reports Kivu Morning Post. On Thursday morning, traffic had resumed on the Bunyakiri-Kalonge and Kalonge-Bukavu routes, while some activity was reported in Bunyakiri. The situation comes after fighting between the FRN and the FARDC spread to five territories in South Kivu, announced on 6 November fighting spreads to five territories in South Kivu.
