Rebels seize second major city in DR Congo

RT.com
17 Feb 2025, 18:38 GMT+10

The African nation's government says it is doing "everything possible" to restore order and territorial integrity in Bukavu

M23 militants in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) have taken control of the capital of South Kivu province in the country's east, just days after threatening to seize it in an ongoing battle with the government.

In a statement on Sunday, the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), a coalition of rebel groups that includes the M23, claimed its fighters have decided to "assist the population of Bukavu" in addressing its security challenges.

The city of around 1.3 million people has been abandoned by Congolese forces and their allies, leaving it in a state of "anarchy" and "insecurity," according to the AFC.

"AFC/M23 reserves the right to protect and defend the civilian population and the liberated areas against any atrocities perpetrated by the Kinshasa regime and its allies," Lawrence Kanyuka, spokesperson for the alliance, said in a statement.

The militants launched renewed attacks against the Central African nation's government in the beginning of the year and have since killed more than a dozen foreign peacekeepers.

Late last month, the rebels seized Goma, a city on the Rwandan border and the capital of DR Congo's eastern North Kivu province. According to the UN, the M23 has appointed de facto authorities, including a governor and mayor in Goma.

The former Belgian colony's resource-rich east has been plagued by decades of violence, with dozens of armed groups, including M23, fighting the local authorities for power and minerals such as gold and diamonds.

The conflict has strained relations between the DR Congo government and the authorities in Rwanda. Kinshasa has repeatedly accused the neighboring state of providing support to the M23. Last year, a UN experts report said that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were fighting alongside the militants. Kigali has consistently denied the allegations.

Earlier this month, Yolande Makolo, spokesperson for the Rwandan government, told RT that her country has soldiers deployed on its borders solely to defend them. She said Kigali is committed to peace and a sustainable resolution to the conflict in the DR Congo.

On Sunday, the Congolese government announced that Rwandan troops were entering Bukavu alongside the rebels.

"Rwanda is stubbornly pursuing its plan to occupy, pillage and commit crimes and serious human rights violations on our soil," the DR Congo communications ministry said in a statement.

The government said it is "doing everything possible" to restore order, security, and territorial integrity and urged Bukavu residents to avoid being targeted by the militants.

More than 3,000 people, including children, have been killed in the former Belgian colony in the latest escalation of the conflict, according to UN reports.

The African Union (AU) has warned that the DR Congo could break up if the situation in the conflict-torn east is not resolved.

Speaking at an AU summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, on Saturday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also called for the country's territorial integrity to be respected, adding that a regional escalation of hostilities must be avoided.