Corneille Nangaa, the leader of the Congo River Alliance, AFC which includes the M23 Rebels has confirmed the death of 11 persons and 65 others sustaining injuries when multiple bombs were detonated in the Congo city of Bukavu when mammoth crowds of Congolese residents gathered at a rally organised by the rebel groups after they took over the town earlier in February 2025 with the Congolese President, Felix Tshisekedi describing the bombings as a terrorist attack committed by a foreign army currently on Congolese soil.

Corneille Nangaa while addressing reporters on Thursday evening after the attack, said that the bomb attack was orchestrated by President Felix Tshisekedi led Congolese government. Adding that both the attacker and a woman were among the eleven dead.

According to Nangaa in the video footage of the news briefing, six out of the 65 persons injured during the bomb blasts are in critical conditions in the hospital.

“The attack caused 11 deaths and verifications are underway. The author of the attack is among the victims,” Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), which includes the M23, told reporters during the press briefing.

Adding, “there are 65 injured, six of whom are seriously injured and are currently being treated in the operating room.”

“The attack on Bukavu caused 11 deaths including a woman and the perpetrator of the attack. He said that “following today’s unfortunate incident, we are obliged to react.”

The incident occurred on Thursday when leaders of the M23 rebel group, including Nangaa, were meeting residents when the explosions occurred in the central part of Bukavu.

Videos and photos shared on social media showed a very large crowd of people  fleeing the mass rally in Bukavu and bloodied bodies on the ground.

“We are accusing and condemning vigorously the criminal regime of Kinshasa, which just implemented its plan of exterminating civilian populations,” AFC said in a statement.

“This attack caused several deaths, including a few terrorists from Kinshasa and some injured. Two of them were immediately apprehended by our services.”

“This cowardly and barbaric act will not be without consequences,” it added.

Meanwhile, Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi called the attack “a heinous terrorist act that was perpetrated by a foreign army illegally present on Congolese soil”, according to AFP international news agency.

It was gathered that the Rebel leader, Nangaa who addressed the mammoth crowd of people in Bukavu had left the stage before the bombs were detonated.

Bukavu is one of two key cities in the Kivu region seized in recent weeks by the M23 rebels, who UN experts claimed are backed by Rwandan forces. Kigali has repeatedly denied backing the rebels.

A first explosion caused panic, sending spectators fleeing, before a second explosion rang out. Some reports suggest there was a third blast, according to local media.

“Nangaa had left Independence Square where the meeting had taken place at the time of the explosions”, according to AFP journalists at the scene.

It would be recalled that the M23 took control of South Kivu provincial capital Bukavu over a week ago, after capturing Goma, the capital of North Kivu and the main city in the country’s east, late last month.

The eastern DRC has been the scene of decades of relentless conflict but has been plunged into fresh turmoil as fighters from the M23 group seize alot of territory in the two provinces.

Local observers said that the seizure of Bukavu and Goma gives a major foothold in the mineral-rich region to the group, which resurfaced in late 2021.

We had earlier in February 2025 reported that the M23 rebels have announced the takeover of South Kivu city of Bukavu in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC and now in control of another major airport in the Kivu region, the Kavumu Airport after the secessionist armed fighters sacked Congolese soldiers and foreign mercenaries.

We had reported that the United Nations, UN says dozens of inmates with more than 150 female prisoners alongside their babies were burnt alive on January 27, 2025 when some detainees at Munzenze prison in Goma set fire on the facility to escape after M23 advanced to takeover the city, forcing prison guards to flee and shot dead many inmates.

It would be recalled we had reported that; in a bitter reaction to the statement credited to South Africa President, Cyril Ramaphosa over the killing of 13 SA soldiers in Goma by M23 rebels, Rwanda President, Paul Kagame has talked tough over President Ramaphosa description of Rwanda Defence Force, RDF as a militia group working with M23 and the SA President’s threat: reshared and commented on President Cyril Ramaphosa X social media post published: accused South Africa of being a party in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo who always launch offensive operations against M23 rebels, only trying to manipulate the public by thus falsely claiming to be a peacekeeper in a war the SA has joined hands to escalate, this, as hundreds of Romania mercenaries contracted to fight against M23 rebels ceded or surrendered to M23 rebels in the present of the rebels spokesperson, Willy Ngoma in Goma who was seen in videos warning and cautioning the Romanians never to come to Congo to fight against them before the Romanians were transported to Rwanda for further assistance to their country.

We had reported that over 1,200 men of the Armed Forces of Democratic Republic of Congo have ceded or surrendered Goma, the country’s largest city to M23 rebels with DRC military uniforms flooding the streets after they pulled off the army attires and took refuge at UN Peacekeeping military base leaving South Africa soldiers to continue to fight on, but South Africa military formation in Congo in a statement denying that its men did not surrender to M23 rebels, insisting that the White flag hoisted by one of his soldiers during heavy gun battle with the rebels was normal military tradition for both sides to ceasefire to enable the South Africa troops passage to receive medical supply and as well give room to the M23 rebels the opportunity to rescue their men injured in front of the South Africa military base near Goma Airport, this, as thousands of pro government protesters attacked and burnt some portions of US, French, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and other foreign embassies in Kinshasa.

We previously had reported that thousands of prisoners at Munzenze Prison facility in Goma, the capital city of North Kivu Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo may have set themselves free after M23 rebels took control of Goma early morning hours with videos posted online showing civilians flooding back to Goma and welcoming the M23 rebels in a rousing manner.

Earlier same day, we also reported that one of the most troubled countries in Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo government  begged civilian residents in the country to flood streets on Monday, 27 January 2025 just as M23 rebels are now in control of Goma, after killing the Congolese military commander, over nine South Africa soldiers, a total of 12 UN Peacekeepers, forcing other Congolese soldiers to surrender their weapons before the 3:00am Monday 27, 2025 deadline set.

We had earlier in January 2025 reported that M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo early this year advanced and seized the town of Masisi, same period the Congolese government sent 172 death row prisoners to executioners with 102 already confirmed executed while the government kept mum on the third batch of 70 prisoners including the May 19, 2024 37 coup plotters who were convicted and sentenced to death in September, 2024 just as the country Minister of Justice, Constant Mutamba threatened journalists with death penalty if they relayed the activities of armed group he described as Rwanda army and its M23 auxiliaries.