DRC: A dozen people killed in a bombing in Mweso

A bomb was dropped in the town of Mweso, about 140km north-west of the city of Goma, in the province of North Kivu, in the east of the DRC, killing several people and injuring others.

"We have just recorded 10 deaths, all civilians. We were hiding in a house belonging to Maman Cyinyia, fearing the ongoing clashes between the M23 and the FARDC", said one of the survivors, speaking on condition of anonymity.

It is difficult at the moment to know the death toll. "The death toll is 19 civilians dead and 17 wounded, following the explosion of bombs dropped from as yet undetermined positions", said a local media source.

Some local media report that it was the M23 that dropped the bomb in its quest to recapture the town of Mweso, which it lost yesterday.

In a statement, the Congolese army said that the M23 had tried to recapture the town of Mweso. "Having established that they had lost control of the town of Mweso, the M23 terrorists, supported by the Rwandan army, in their flight, indiscriminately dropped 120 mm mortar bombs on the town, killing 19 people and wounding 27 innocent civilians," the statement said.

"Considering this terrorist act to be a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law, the FARDC call on the international community to address these blunders and draw all the necessary consequences," adds the DRC army's statement.

The M23 has not yet made any statement on these events.

Akilimali Saleh Chomachoma