# M23 and local armed groups fight across Ufamandu villages in North Kivu
On 2025-07-31, clashes broke out in several villages in the Ufamandu group of Masisi Territory, where AFC/M23 rebels fought a mix of local armed groups, according to Radio Okapi. The fighting came amid a wider M23 pursuit of people it describes as FDLR fighters and possible allies, a campaign local sources say has deepened the humanitarian strain in the area.
The report said Wednesday's heaviest fighting involved AFC/M23 and the Wazalendo group led by Noah Maachano on Bumba hill, south of Remeka. That confrontation followed nearly a week of combat along the Luke-Kasenyi-Miole axis in the Kibabi and Nyamaboko groupements. Radio Okapi also said the M23 was targeting a group led by the warlord Mutayomba, who is alleged by local sources to be linked to the FDLR.
Residents were forced to move as the violence spread. The report said hundreds of people fled the area for Waloa Yungu in neighboring Walikale Territory. That flight of civilians is one of the clearest signs in the source that the fighting had moved beyond a tactical exchange and into a broader civilian crisis.
The escalation also appeared to cut across several linked fronts. Radio Okapi said the same period saw renewed pressure in villages in Rutshuru Territory, where the M23 carried out operations against FARDC elements in areas under its control. The account did not give a fresh casualty count, but it did say the fighting has affected villages in Bwito and Bwisha and left civilians exposed to violence.
The source framed the day's clashes as part of a broader pattern in North Kivu rather than an isolated incident. It noted that the fighting came more than ten days after a Doha principle agreement between the Congolese government and AFC/M23. It also cited a July 21 military telegram, reported elsewhere, in which the Congo defense command told troops not to attack the M23 unless responding to aggression.
Taken together, the report points to a battlefield that remained active despite the diplomatic track. Local sources cited by Radio Okapi said positions were being reinforced and that the violence was creating fresh displacement and fear in Masisi and nearby territories. The report did not provide an independent casualty total or confirmation from the armed groups involved.
What is clear from the evidence is that the July 31 fighting was not a single village dispute. It was a multi-site clash involving the M23 and several local armed actors, with civilians again paying the immediate cost. The source says the crisis continues to spread pressure across the North Kivu interior while peace efforts remain uncertain.
