Local officials and witnesses report seeing rebels enter the eastern DRC’s second largest city after a rapid advance.
Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have entered Bukavu, the second-largest city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), after advancing rapidly in the country.
A local official, a security source, and five witnesses reported seeing the rebels there on Sunday, while a spokesperson for the militia told the Reuters news agency: “We are there.”
The armed group had been advancing on the capital of South Kivu province since seizing the city of Goma in late January. The fall of Bukavu, if confirmed, would represent the most significant expansion of territory under the M23’s control since the latest armed rebellion started in 2022.
M23 spokesperson Willy Ngoma said in a telephone message that the group was in the city.
The Congolese army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“I’m at home, and I can see with my own eyes the M23 entering our town,” a local official said, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
Claude Bisimwa, a Bukavu resident, was transporting the bodies of two slain men who were hit by bullets “inside … their house”.
“They were in their room. We are taking their bodies to the morgue. These were not stray bullets – the soldier did this out of his own will,” Bisimwa told Al Jazeera.
As panic swept through the city, there were reports of widespread looting, including at a World Food Programme depot, while thousands of civilians fled.
A day earlier, the rebels took control of Kavumu airport serving Bukavu. They reportedly faced minimal resistance as they advanced through the town.
The airport was the last significant military barrier for the rebel forces before reaching Bukavu, a city of more than one million people.
The development comes as the African Union (AU) summit continues in Ethiopia. The conflict in the DRC has been a key topic of discussion at the annual two-day meeting.
Addressing the summit, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said a “regional escalation must be avoided at all costs” and the DRC’s “territorial integrity” must be preserved.
The AU has been criticised for its timid approach, and observers have demanded more decisive action towards the conflict.
Rwanda denies giving military support to M23 but has accused hardline Hutu groups in DRC of threatening its security. A report by UN experts said last year Kigali maintained about 4,000 soldiers in the DRC and had de facto control of the rebel group.