11 killed, 65 injured in explosions after rally in eastern DR Congo

KINSHASA -- Several explosions killed at least 11 people and injured 65 others on Thursday in Bukavu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), shortly after a political rally in support of the rebel March 23 Movement (M23).

The latest casualties were confirmed by Corneille Nangaa, the political leader of the Congo River Alliance, a politico-military group allied with M23.

The blasts occurred shortly after the rally, where Nangaa spoke at Independence Square in the provincial capital of South Kivu.

M23 blamed the explosions on the DRC government, saying that some of the attackers were injured or killed, and two suspects were arrested. Nangaa said that he and other senior members of the rebel group present at the rally were not wounded.

DRC President Felix Tshisekedi condemned the attacks in a statement, extending his sincere condolences to the bereaved families of the victims.

"We are not going to withdraw. We are at home," Nangaa said earlier at the political rally, promising to appoint a provincial governor for South Kivu and a mayor for Bukavu.

He also pledged to rehabilitate the roads between Bukavu and Goma, the capital of North Kivu province. M23 has claimed control of both cities. Earlier this month, the rebel group established a parallel administration in North Kivu.

"If the banks in Bukavu and Goma do not reopen by next week, the AFC/M23 will take action against these institutions and begin granting licenses so that new banks can start serving the population," Nangaa said.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix has warned that the conflict in the DRC could escalate into a broader regional crisis. "The potential for regional spillover from the conflict in the DRC is a reality," Lacroix said on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

"A regional escalation must be avoided at all costs," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said recently at the 38th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. "There is no military solution. The deadlock must end, and dialogue must begin."

The mineral-rich eastern DRC remains a hotspot of conflict, with various groups vying for control over resources such as coltan, tin, tantalum and gold.