Wazalendo fighters try to retake Luke as clashes spread across Masisi Territory

Wazalendo fighters try to retake Luke as clashes spread across Masisi Territory

Violent fighting in Masisi Territory, North Kivu, intensified on 2025-07-25 as Wazalendo fighters launched an offensive to retake Luke, a locality that had fallen to the M23 the previous day, according to Radio Okapi. The same report says the clashes also opened a second front near Showa and Bukombo, sending civilians fleeing and cutting a key road link.

The source describes the day as one of heavy fighting between the M23 and local armed groups allied under the Wazalendo label. The first rounds of gunfire were heard early in the morning in several places in the Nyamaboko I groupement, where residents were reportedly startled out of sleep by heavy and light weapons fire. That detail matters because it shows the violence was not contained to one contact point.

Luke was the immediate objective of the Wazalendo advance. According to local sources cited by Radio Okapi, the fighters were trying to take back the locality after the M23 captured it on Thursday, following intense combat. That means control of Luke shifted quickly, and the Friday offensive was an attempt to reverse that loss before the M23 could consolidate.

A separate fight then broke out near Showa, close to Bukombo, in Osso Banyungu sector. There, the M23 is said to have tried to push into positions held by Wazalendo from the APCLS group led by Janvier Karairi. Witnesses told the outlet that the Wazalendo held their ground and forced the rebels back toward Bukombo. The report does not settle every detail of who controlled each hill or road at every moment, but it does show a fast-moving contest for territory.

The humanitarian impact was immediate. Residents of Luke, Showa and Bukombo fled in large numbers toward surrounding localities in search of safety. The source does not give a precise headcount, but it clearly says thousands of civilians were on the move, adding to the pressure on communities already living with armed conflict. In practical terms, each new burst of fighting means more people leave home with little warning and little certainty about when they can return.

The road between Masisi-centre and Nyabiondo was also nearly impassable for much of the day. That kind of disruption matters beyond the front line because it affects trade, transport and humanitarian access. When a road corridor becomes unsafe or blocked, markets weaken, aid deliveries slow and wounded civilians may struggle to reach care.

Radio Okapi’s report does not identify the full command chain or the exact battlefield outcome. What it does show is a territory where one locality changed hands, another front opened nearby and civilians bore the cost. The fighting in Masisi is therefore not just a story of military manoeuvre. It is a story of unstable control, displaced families and a transport route that could not function normally while the guns were active.

For now, the verified facts point to a conflict that spread quickly across several localities on one day, with Luke at the centre of the attempt to reverse M23 gains.