Congolese refugees arriving in Rwanda recount massacres, lost children and shattered families as renewed fighting tears through eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Civilians fled despite a peace agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump, saying violence intensified as armed groups clashed near their homes.
Akilimali Mirindi, 40, arrived at Rwanda’s Nyarushishi refugee camp with only three of her ten children, fate unknown for the others.
She said bombs destroyed her house in Kamanyola near the Rwandan border, killing neighbours as families fled through chaos and smoke.
Around 1,000 Congolese have reached the camp after fresh fighting erupted, forcing civilians into flight once again.
The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has seized large parts of eastern DRC over the past year, recently capturing the strategic city of Uvira.
Thousands have escaped crossfire involving M23 fighters, Congolese forces, and allied Burundian troops operating along the border.
Trump hosted Rwanda’s Paul Kagame and Congo’s Felix Tshisekedi on December 4 to seek peace, but fighting was already underway.
Refugees said the talks offered little relief, with explosions continuing even as leaders met abroad.
Thomas Mutabazi, 67, said bombs fell from multiple directions, leaving civilians trapped between opposing forces and abandoned by politics.
At the camp, set among green hills and tea plantations, aid groups provide shelter, food and basic services.
Yet women and children described homes looted, fields destroyed, and lives uprooted by soldiers moving through their villages.
Jeanette Bendereza, 37, said she fled twice this year, returning home only to find M23 in control before violence resumed.
Others described neighbours killed in bombed houses, including children, as fear finally forced them to cross into Rwanda.