“Bombs Were Chasing Us”: Congo Refugees Share Horrific Escape Stories
Congolese refugees flee renewed M23 fighting, recount lost children and neighbours killed by bombs.
A new wave of terror has engulfed eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, forcing thousands to flee into neighbouring Rwanda as fighting between M23 rebels, Congolese forces, and allied troops spirals out of control. Refugees arriving at Rwanda’s Nyarushishi camp say the violence has intensified dramatically—even as leaders of Rwanda and the DRC met with US President Donald Trump earlier this month to negotiate peace. Many civilians, however, insist the conflict was already exploding long before the negotiations concluded.
Among the displaced is 40-year-old Akilimali Mirindi, who reached Rwanda with only three of her ten children. She described a night of chaos, with bombs shattering homes and bodies lying on the roads as families ran for their lives. “I don’t know what happened to the other seven, or their father,” she said, recalling how her home in Kamanyola was destroyed. Refugees told similar stories of indiscriminate shelling, claiming the violence came simultaneously from M23 positions and from FARDC and Burundian forces attempting to repel the rebel advance.
The M23, widely reported to be backed by Rwanda, has seized vast territories in eastern Congo over the past year, most recently capturing the major border city of Uvira. Their advance has pushed tens of thousands of civilians across borders and through forests, many with little more than the clothes on their backs. “It’s clear there is no understanding between Kagame and Tshisekedi,” said 67-year-old Thomas Mutabazi in the refugee camp. “If they don’t reach an agreement, the war will go on—and we will continue to suffer.”
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Nyarushishi refugee camp, set against lush tea plantations, provides dormitories, food supplies, and medical support from UN agencies and humanitarian groups. But relief workers say the emotional toll on villagers—especially women and children—is devastating. Many described soldiers stripping their homes, torching farms, or looting livestock before driving residents out. Jeanette Bendereza, 37, said she fled twice this year: first to Burundi in February, and again recently after returning home to find M23 in control. “We could hear bombs following us,” she said. “I don’t know where my husband is now.”
Others recounted witnessing their neighbours killed instantly by exploding shells. Olinabangi Kayibanda, 56, said he remained in Kamanyola until the bombings grew too intense to survive. “I saw my neighbour dead with her two children after their house was hit,” he said. “She was pregnant, too.” Burundian troops, deployed to support Congo, have become increasingly vulnerable as rebel forces seize more territory along the shared border, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
For now, refugees say they can only wait—uncertain of whether their families survived the escape, and doubtful that the latest diplomatic efforts will stop the bloodshed. As more civilians pour across the border each day, aid agencies warn that the crisis could escalate further unless both governments honour their commitments and halt the M23’s advance.
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