The AFC/M23 alliance, which opposes the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has announced that 11 people were killed in a grenade attack in the city of Bukavu on February 27, 2025.
According to Corneille Nangaa, the leader of AFC/M23, the attack also left 65 people injured, six of them in critical condition.
Speaking to the press, Nangaa stated, “The Bukavu attack claimed 11 lives, including a woman and one of the attackers. Sixty-five others were injured, with several in serious condition.”
The attack targeted a gathering organized by AFC/M23 at the ‘Place de l’Indépendance’ in Bukavu, where thousands of supporters had convened.
AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka accused the DRC government of orchestrating the attack, alleging that it was carried out following direct orders from President Félix Tshisekedi to South Kivu Governor Jean-Jacques Purusi.
However, the office of President Tshisekedi issued a statement attributing the attack to foreign forces operating illegally on Congolese soil. Analysts following the DRC’s political landscape have dismissed this claim as an attempt to divert attention.
Kanyuka further revealed that AFC/M23 forces had captured two of the suspected attackers and were actively pursuing others who fled the scene.
Meanwhile, M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa claimed that preliminary investigations showed that the explosives used in the attack were the same type employed by Burundian forces, who are known to be collaborating with the Congolese military in operations against M23.
The attack adds to the escalating violence in eastern DRC, where tensions between rebel groups and government forces continue to grow.
