Wazalendo And AFC/M23 Fighting Pressures Masisi-Walikale Corridor

Goma, August 20, 2026 - Pro-government Wazalendo fighters and AFC/M23 forces clashed in North Kivu, raising the risk of fresh displacement along the strategic Masisi-Walikale corridor.

Fighting began on August 19 at around 7 a.m. in Nkingwe, near the Mindjendje bridge on the Masisi-Walikale border. Deaths and injuries were reported on both sides, while Wazalendo fighters claimed they pushed an AFC/M23 offensive back toward Malemo.

A separate confrontation erupted the same evening in Kanune Ikobo, in Walikale, where Wazalendo attacked positions held by AFC/M23-aligned local defense forces. Gunfire continued late into the night, at least one civilian was killed, and residents fled into the bush before some began returning on August 20.

Wazalendo later withdrew from Kanune Ikobo, leaving AFC/M23 affiliates in control. The fighting underscores continued volatility west of the main North Kivu front lines, with implications for civilian movement, humanitarian access and commercial routes linking mineral-producing areas to regional markets.