Dozens of soldiers from the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) have been arrested in Kalemie city after allegedly abandoning their frontline positions and hiding among civilians.The arrests come as fighting between FARDC and the March 23 Movement/Alliance Fleuve Congo (M23/AFC) rebels, backed by their Twirwaneho allies, intensifies across North and South Kivu provinces.Since Monday, the rebels have reportedly captured several strategic positions, including Point Zero in Minembwe, South Kivu Province, forcing FARDC troops and allied Wazalendo militia fighters to retreat towards Kalemie and surrounding areas.On Tuesday, however, FARDC and Wazalendo fighters announced that they had recaptured the strategic trading centre of Kipupu in Itombwe Sector, Mwenga Territory, following renewed fighting.While presenting the arrested soldiers to the media on Tuesday, FARDC spokesperson for Tanganyika Province, Sgt Aristote Tshitamba, said the operation targeted soldiers suspected of desertion, as well as individuals believed to have infiltrated the army.Tshitamba said the crackdown was intended to restore discipline within the armed forces, safeguard public order and protect civilians in Kalemie and neighbouring areas.According to him, some of the suspects are being held at Kalemie Central Prison pending legal proceedings. He also appealed to residents to continue cooperating with security agencies by reporting suspicious individuals or activities that could threaten peace and security in the province.The arrests come as senior FARDC officers and representatives of regional and international partners continue efforts to strengthen the ceasefire monitoring mechanism in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).On Monday, three FARDC officers – Lt Col Cosmas Ben Epule, Maj Fredy Lokuli Bofanda and Maj André Kitoko Dimonekene, arrived in Goma alongside officials from the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and observers from Qatar, Togo, the African Union and the United States.Also in Goma is Vivian van de Perre, MONUSCO’s Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Protection and Operations.The delegation is expected to support the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJM+), a regional framework established to monitor compliance with ceasefire and security commitments under ongoing peace initiatives.Despite these diplomatic efforts, FARDC and the M23/AFC continue to accuse each other of violating ceasefire agreements.The Congolese government has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebellion, allegations that have consistently been denied by both the Rwandan government and the M23/AFC.The M23/AFC says its armed campaign is aimed at addressing corruption, insecurity, xenophobia and discrimination against certain communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.Since launching a major offensive in early 2025, the rebel group has captured several strategic towns in eastern DRC, raising concerns over a wider regional conflict.The post Congolese soldiers arrested after abandoning frontline positions in Kivu appeared first on The Observer Media Ltd.