CH-4 Drone launched from Bujumbura strikes Nzibira
Reports from South Kivu Province indicate that on Saturday morning, the small town of Nzibira came under a drone attack in the latest escalation of fighting between the M23 rebel movement and government forces.
According to local sources, the strike occurred at 7:10 a.m. and was carried out by a CH-4 drone believed to have been launched from Bujumbura, Burundi. The city’s international airport has in recent months been used as a base for the Congolese army to conduct aerial operations against M23-held territories.
It remains unclear whether the attack caused any damage or casualties.
The strike comes just days after M23 rebels seized Nzibira, expelling the coalition of Congolese government forces and allied militias that had been stationed there. The town fell on Sunday, marking yet another advance for the group in South Kivu.
Only hours before the drone attack, M23’s Deputy Commander, Brigadier General Bernard Maheshe Byamungu, held a meeting in Nzibira with residents. Byamungu justified the town’s capture, saying it had been a strategic base used by government forces to launch offensives in Walungu Territory.
Observers note that M23’s control of Nzibira could provide the rebels with a springboard for further advances toward strategic locations such as Shabunda, Mwenga, and even Kisangani, raising fears of a broader shift in the balance of power in eastern DRC.
