Reuters
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Fighting intensified in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump invited the leaders of Congo and Rwanda to Washington and signed a new deal aimed at ending years of conflict in the mineral-rich region.
Congolese President Felix Shisekedi and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame on Thursday reaffirmed their commitment to a U.S.-brokered deal reached in June to stabilize the vast country and pave the way for more Western mining investment.
“We are trying to resolve wars that have been going on for decades,” said the Trump administration, which has honed its credentials as a peace negotiator and intervened in a series of conflicts around the world to advance U.S. business interests.
However, fierce fighting continued on the ground, with both sides blaming each other.
Rwandan-backed rebel group AFC/M23 seized control of two major cities in eastern Congo earlier this year and said it was not bound by the Washington agreement but that forces loyal to the government were carrying out widespread attacks.
The group said in a statement that 23 people were killed and several others injured in shelling targeting a town in South Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A Congolese army spokesman said clashes were continuing and Rwandan troops were carrying out bombing raids.
Analysts say that while U.S. diplomacy has stopped the escalation of fighting in eastern Congo, neither Congo nor Rwanda has followed through on commitments made in the June agreement and has not resolved core issues.
Videos shared online on Friday showed dozens of displaced families fleeing on foot with belongings and livestock near the town of Lubungi in Congo’s eastern South Kivu province. Reuters could not immediately verify them.
“Many homes were destroyed and women as well as children tragically lost their lives,” wrote Lawrence Kanyuka, a spokesperson for AFC/M23, which is not bound by the terms of the Congo-Rwanda agreement.
Forces loyal to the Congolese government “continued relentless attacks on populated areas in North and South Kivu using fighter jets, drones and heavy artillery,” wrote X, without giving an overall casualty figure.
A Congolese army spokesperson confirmed to Reuters on Friday that clashes were continuing along the Caziba-Katogota-Rulambo axis in South Kivu province.
Regan Mbuyi Kalonji, a military spokesman in South Kivu province, told Reuters that Congolese forces only targeted fighters in the hills above Kaziba and Lulambo.
“There is a population shift in Lubungi because of the Rwandan Defense Force’s shelling. They are bombing blindly,” he said.
Rwandan military and government spokespeople could not be reached for comment.
A senior AFC/M23 official told Reuters that the rebels had retaken the town of Ruberica and shot down a Congolese military drone. He requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
“The war continues on the ground and has nothing to do with the signing of the agreement that took place in Washington yesterday.”
UNICEF said on Friday it had raised the alarm after clashes in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s South Kivu province on December 3 and 4 hit three schools and other locations near schools, reportedly killing at least seven children and injuring others.
“In 2025, fighting is at an intensity not seen in years, and as always, children are bearing the brunt,” the statement said.
The United Nations children’s agency called for an immediate end to attacks on schools and other educational facilities and called on all parties to the conflict to ensure children can learn safely.
