Native officers and witnesses report seeing rebels enter the jap DRC’s second largest metropolis after a speedy advance.
Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have entered Bukavu, the second-largest metropolis within the jap Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), after advancing quickly within the nation.
An area official, a safety supply, and 5 witnesses reported seeing the rebels there on Sunday, whereas a spokesperson for the militia instructed the Reuters information company: “We’re there.”
The armed group had been advancing on the capital of South Kivu province since seizing town of Goma in late January. The autumn of Bukavu, if confirmed, would signify probably the most important enlargement of territory underneath the M23’s management for the reason that newest armed insurrection began in 2022.
M23 spokesperson Willy Ngoma stated in a phone message that the group was within the metropolis.
The Congolese military didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
“I’m at house, and I can see with my very own eyes the M23 coming into our city,” a neighborhood official stated, talking on situation of anonymity for safety causes.
Claude Bisimwa, a Bukavu resident, was transporting the our bodies of two slain males who had been hit by bullets “inside … their home”.
“They had been of their room. We’re taking their our bodies to the morgue. These weren’t stray bullets – the soldier did this out of his personal will,” Bisimwa instructed Al Jazeera.
As panic swept by way of town, there have been stories of widespread looting, together with at a World Meals Programme depot, whereas 1000’s of civilians fled.
A day earlier, the rebels took management of Kavumu airport serving Bukavu. They reportedly confronted minimal resistance as they superior by way of the city.
The airport was the final important navy barrier for the insurgent forces earlier than reaching Bukavu, a metropolis of a couple of million individuals.
The event comes because the African Union (AU) summit continues in Ethiopia. The battle within the DRC has been a key subject of debate on the annual two-day assembly.
Addressing the summit, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres stated a “regional escalation have to be prevented in any respect prices” and the DRC’s “territorial integrity” have to be preserved.
The AU has been criticised for its timid method, and observers have demanded extra decisive motion in the direction of the battle.
Rwanda denies giving navy assist to M23 however has accused hardline Hutu teams in DRC of threatening its safety. A report by UN consultants stated final yr Kigali maintained about 4,000 troopers within the DRC and had de facto management of the insurgent group.