M23 seizing control of Kaniola and Mulamba in South Kivu
The M23 rebel group launched a major offensive in the areas of Kaniola and Mulamba, located in Walungu Territory, South Kivu Province, during the night of August 7. The attack began around 9:30 p.m. (21:30) and resulted in the rebels seizing control of the area.
Reliable sources from local residents and various administrative entities confirm that the rebel group swiftly took over the territory and is now advancing toward Nzibira, a nearby locality just a few kilometers from where the fighting initially broke out.
The offensive came just hours after M23 held a press conference in Goma on August 7 at around 4:00 p.m. (16:00), where they accused the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) of launching attacks in the Minembwe area. During the briefing, the rebels also announced they would not participate in the peace talks scheduled to take place in Doha, Qatar.
Only three hours after that press briefing, fighting broke out in Kaniola and Mulamba, which quickly fell under M23 control. By Thursday morning, some residents who had fled the fighting had begun returning to their homes.
Eyewitness accounts suggest that M23 met little resistance when entering Kaniola. Most civilians fled in fear, though some began returning after hearing that hostilities had ceased.
These events come just ahead of the second round of peace talks between the Congolese government and M23, which were scheduled to take place in Doha on August 8, 2025.
