In the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local militias supported by Congolese soldiers carried out simultaneous attacks on several fronts against the AFC/M23 on Wednesday, according to local and security sources.
Published on: 02/25/2026 - 6:39 p.m. Modified on: 02/25/2026 - 7:52 p.m.
Kinshasa forces are carrying out attacks on several fronts against the AFC/M23 in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the support of drones which struck the armed group near a strategic mining site, local and security sources told AFP on Wednesday February 25.
On Wednesday, the fighting was concentrated, according to these sources, in areas close to the mining town of Rubaya, which produces between 15 and 30% of the world's coltan, a strategic mineral for the electronics industry. The Democratic Republic of Congo holds at least 60% of the world's reserves.
The east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been ravaged by conflicts for thirty years and is in the grip of a new outbreak of violence since the resurgence of the anti-government armed group AFC/M23 in 2021, with the support of Kigali and its army.
See alsoDR Congo: workers from a mining company demand more security
The AFC/M23 seized large swaths of territory in the east and launched an offensive in December on the strategic city of Uvira, located in the eastern province of South Kivu, arousing the ire of Washington, mediator of a fragile peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
Angola, another mediator in the conflict in the east, proposed to Kinshasa and the AFC/M23 to respect a ceasefire from February 18, without this putting an end to the fighting.
Emmanuel Macron insisted on Wednesday on the need for a ceasefire and a "lasting political solution" in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, following an interview at the Élysée with his Congolese counterpart Félix Tshisekedi.
“France fully supports the mediation efforts for a lasting political solution in the Great Lakes region, the cessation of hostilities, a ceasefire and respect for the authority of the State and the territorial integrity of the DRC,” writes the French president on the X network.
Simultaneous attacks
Local militias supported by Congolese soldiers and drone strikes carried out simultaneous attacks on Wednesday at several points of the front line in the eastern province of North Kivu, particularly in the territory of Masisi, according to local and security sources.
The day before, AFC/M23 fighters were hit by a drone strike near Rubaya, a strategic mining town located in the territory of Masisi, an official of the armed group in Rubaya and security sources told AFP.
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The Rubaya mining site, which extends over several dozen kilometers, came under the control of the AFC/M23 in April 2024, which derives significant revenue from it thanks to a tax levied on the production and trade of minerals, according to UN experts.
“In the center of Rubaya, there is psychosis, I went to see the place where the drone bombed, but we were refused access,” a resident told AFP on Tuesday, requesting anonymity.
Fighting was also reported on Wednesday in the plateaus of South Kivu, where the Congolese army is facing a coalition of militias allied to the AFC/M23 with the support of around 5,000 Burundian soldiers, according to local and military sources.
With AFP
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