NAIROBI
At least 179 people have been hospitalized in Bukavu, the provincial capital of South Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Those injured, including 39 with gunshot wounds, are receiving treatment in the Provincial General Reference Hospital of Bukavu.
Red Cross volunteers, alongside the ICRC, collected 26 bodies in the city as of Monday.
Among the patients are those from Kalehe and Kabare localities, which saw fighting earlier between the M23 rebels and the Congolese army, according to media reports.
The government said Sunday that the Rwandan army and its allies have entered Bukavu. They urged residents to remain vigilant.
Following the takeover by the rebels, residents have been attempting to restore normalcy amid a precarious calm in the city.
More than 3,000 people have been killed, 2,880 injured and over 500,000 displaced since Jan. 26, adding to the 6.4 million already internally displaced due to the rebel offensive, according to the UN.
At least 20 peacekeepers, including 14 from South Africa, have been killed during clashes between the M23 rebels and Congolese forces.
Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of backing the rebels and sending forces to eastern Congo when the latest offensive began. Kigali has repeatedly denied the allegations that it backs the rebels.
