As M23 rebels from Mushaka took control of a frontline hotspot, Safari Hangi carried an infant on his back and walked several miles with other children, trying to get to safety.
The family was among hundreds of Congolese who evacuated Friday through Sake. A town they no longer considered safe.
“Without this war, we would have been in our hamlet without trouble. Working the field and conducting our daily tasks,” said Hangi, 42, as his family slept on a rough path.
He worried aloud about his son’s ability to walk the lengthy distance without shoes.
A top Congolese army officer said personnel had evacuated Mushaka to avert civilian casualties.
Tutsi led M23 came back in 2014 after being chased into Rwanda and Uganda in 2013. After their offensive, the gang took over parts of North Kivu, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes. The government says that he has killed a lot of people and broken the ceasefire.
M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyaka says Congolese forces are the primary threat. However, Congo denies working with regional armed groups.
