Unknown event in Congo, the Democratic Republic of the on Tue 9th April 2024

Boat owners on Lake Kivu accuse the M23 rebels of being responsible for increasingly targeted attacks on Lake Kivu between Minova (South Kivu) and Goma (North Kivu).

They cite as an example the attack on Tuesday April 9 on a boat leaving Minova for Goma. This boat was the target of bombs from rebels who are positioned in the surrounding hills, say these shipowners.

They add that following this attack, a pregnant woman on board the boat lost her pregnancy.

Alfred Genty Kimbutu, captain of this boat, talks about his fear of this situation:

“We were afraid for our boat which was recently affected by the bombings of the M23 rebels at our Minova site. So we thought it was good to evacuate him or have him kept on the other side because we are really very afraid at the risk of drowning our craft.”

He is seriously considering suspending these activities as insecurity persists on the lake.

“We risk stopping navigation while we are feeding almost two million inhabitants in North Kivu and South Kivu. We no longer even have any other means of moving our rural products because the national road RN2 is closed and now the lake risks being closed following these bombings,” regretted this boat captain.