// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the warrior say at the Battle of Bambo? "I'm stuck in a shoot-out.
| Battle of Bambo | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of M23 campaign (2022–present) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Democratic Republic of the Congo FDLR |
 M23 Rwanda (per UN) | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
1+ civilian killed Dozens of thousands of civilians displaced | |||||||
On October 26, 2023, Rwandan-backed M23 rebels attacked the town of Bambo, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, capturing the town for the second time in less than two years.
Background
[edit]Bambo is located in Rutshuru Territory of North Kivu province, in the DRC. In November 2022, at the onset of the M23 invasion backed by Rwanda, the town was captured by M23 fighters alongside the nearby towns of Kishishe and Bugina.[1] In February 2023, Amnesty International reported on M23 fighters raping civilians in Bambo, around the same time as the killing of 171 civilians in M23-occupied Kishishe came to light.[1] In April 2023, M23 withdrew from areas Bambo and surrounding villages like Kishishe, but remained within 20 kilometres (12 mi) of the city.[2]
Bambo and the surrounding area has a population of about 33,000 people. Fighting broke out near the city on October 6 between M23 and pro-government Wazalendo groups.[3]
Battle
[edit]Prior to the battle, drone footage captured by the United Nations in mid-October showed columns of soldiers and military vehicles, believed to be from Rwanda, moving towards Bambo.[4] The offensive on the city was launched on October 26, with residents reporting that M23 bombs were raining on the city as people fled.[5] M23 forces began entering the town from the south.[2] Congolese soldiers fleeing Bambo with the civilians harassed people for their phones and personal belongings.[5] Some bombs fell in the center of the town.[2] A security source interviewed by Le Monde said that Congolese soldiers were still fighting for control of the town on October 26 "but there are a lot of rebels in the city."[2] AFP reporters embedded in Bambo as it fell said that FDLR militants - who have a stronghold in the area - were fighting for control of the city alongside poorly-equipped Congolese soldiers, despite the Congolese government's insistence that it does not cooperate with the FDLR.[6]
At least one civilian died in the battle, identified by AFP as a 23-year-old man named Hakiza.[5] Dozens of thousands of civilians were displaced, many sheltering in the Bambo hospital.[2] One civilian interviewed by Burundian media said that they were afraid to stay in Bambo so as to not suffer a repeat of the massacre in Kishishe.[7]
The offensive on Bambo was one of several undertaken by the M23 on October 26. Fighting also broke out in Kibumba further south.[2] M23 captured Bambo within a day, and the territorial administration of the city called on Congolese forces to recapture it.[7]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "DR Congo: Rwandan-backed M23 rebels perpetrating summary killings and rapes". Amnesty International. 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2026-09-17.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Democratic Republic of Congo rocked by new M23 rebel offensive". Le Monde (in French). 2025-09-07. ISSN 1950-6244. Retrieved 2026-09-17.
- ↑ "M23 vs Wazalendo: violents combats et tensions plongent Bambo et Kibumba dans l'Inquiétude". Actualite.cd (in French). 2023-10-07. Retrieved 2026-09-17.
- ↑ Singh, Tanupriya (2023-11-03). "7 million displaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo as M23 attacks continue". Peoples Dispatch. Retrieved 2026-09-17.
- 1 2 3 "Panic and mortar fire: Civilians flee M23 push in east DR Congo". France 24. 2023-11-01. Retrieved 2026-09-17.
- ↑ "Panic and mortar fire: Civilians flee M23 push in east DR Congo". RFI. 2023-11-01. Retrieved 2026-09-17.
- 1 2 Keza, Leila. "North Kivu : the M23 has once again recovered Kishishe". SOS Médias Burundi. Retrieved 2026-09-17.