Explosions have rocked a major city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during a rally for the M23 rebel group and their supporters that one of the armed group’s top commanders attended.
The first explosion in Bukavu caused panic, sending attendees fleeing from the area before a second explosion rang out, according to the AFP news agency. Residents said the explosions were accompanied by gunfire.
People ran through the streets, some bleeding and carrying limp bodies, video showed. Residents said they saw dead people, but there was no immediate information on the number of casualties.
The meeting was the first to be attended by M23 commander Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Congo River Alliance, since his forces seized control of the region’s second largest city nearly two weeks ago.
Nangaa told the Reuters news agency by phone that neither he nor other senior rebel commanders were wounded in the attack and he blamed DRC President Felix Tshisekedi without providing evidence. There was no immediate comment from the government.
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