A Kenya Defence Forces soldier was killed in a mortar attack in the Kibumba area of eastern DRC.
The soldier was among troops under the East Africa Community Regional Force (EACRF) when a mortar directed at a fighting group landed on them on Tuesday, October 24.
Officials on the ground said there was no direct attack on KDF Forward Operating Base.
The officials said the M23 was fighting with Wazalendo rebels using mortars when the incident happened.
“One accidentally landed near one of the post patrol bases. The soldier was injured from shrapnel resulting from the landing bomb. Unfortunately, he succumbed to the injuries,” said an official aware of the developments.
Fighting between the M23 rebels and the Militia Coalition under the Wazalendo (Patriots) umbrella has resumed in North Kivu province.
This is after Bertrand Bisimwa, the M23 rebels’ President accused Wazalendo and the government army of launching the attacks at M23 positions in Bwiza, Masisi territory.
A statement from the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo confirmed the incident and denounced the shooting blaming it on the M23.
It is the first such death to be reported on the Kenyan troops since they joined the EACRF last year. There are more than 1,000 KDF personnel in the mission.
“In view of the above, the FARDC denounces and condemns this barbaric and terrorist manner on the part of the Rwandan army operating under cover of the M23, which is now attacking the regional force that came to impose peace and stability on the Eastern DRC, on instructions from the Heads of State of the EAC,” read part of the statement.
Rwanda denies involvement in the rebel group.
FARDC reiterated its commitment to respecting the agreements of the Heads of State.
Officials in Nairobi have yet to comment on the developments so far.
This comes as M23 rebels and DR Congo troops clash heavily in North Kivu province.
Thousands of people have been displaced in the volatile eastern region of the DRC as fighting between the army and M23 rebels continues.
A mostly Congolese Tutsi group, the M23 (the March 23 Movement) leaped to prominence in 2012 when it briefly captured Goma before being driven out.
After lying dormant for years, the rebels took up arms again in late 2021, claiming the DRC had failed to honour a pledge to integrate them into the army, among other grievances.
Officials blame delayed political processes which have led to the surge in armed group activities in general.
On October 8, Defence from the East Africa Community (EAC) approved the extension of the region's forces to stay in DRC until peace and stability are restored.
Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said that the approval of the East African Community Regional Forces (EACRF) follows the gains in efforts to restore peace among the warring groups in the volatile Eastern DRC region.
"After a series of other high-level deliberations with legal and security experts, today, with other Ministers of Defence from the East African Community we convened for an Extra-Ordinary Meeting of Ministers in Arusha, Tanzania," Duale said.
He said the Defence ministers discussed a range of regional security concerns with a focus on the situation in the Eastern DRC and noted the need for the extension of the EACRF mandate given the relative calm in the country.
“The sitting proposed an extension of their occupancy until peace and stability is fully restored,” he said.
Duale said Kenya being one of the Troops Contributing Countries welcomed this move and committed to support the quest for peace in the economic development of the DRC.
EACRF was first deployed in November last year and had its mandate extended in March for six months.
EACRF is supposed to be a buffer force to prevent confrontations between armed groups and encourage political dialogue.
Present were Minsters of Defense Alain Tribert Mutabazi (Burundi and Chair of EAC Council of Defense Ministers), Dr. Stergomena Lawrence (Tanzania), Vincent Ssempijja (Uganda), Jean-Pierre Bemba (DRC) and Representative of South Sudan.
The force is made up of Kenyan, Ugandan, Burundian and South Sudanese soldiers.