M23 Rebels and Rwandan Troops Enter DR Congo’s Bukavu, Triggering Regional Tensions
BUKAVU, DR CONGO:
M23 rebels, accompanied by Rwandan troops, entered the provincial capital of Bukavu on Friday, according to security and humanitarian sources.
The fighters advanced into the eastern city, home to around one million people and the capital of South Kivu province, encountering minimal resistance after taking control of the region’s main airport.
President Felix Tshisekedi strongly condemned Rwanda’s alleged expansionist agenda in the mineral-rich region, accusing Kigali of backing the armed insurgency. A government official revealed that Tshisekedi would skip the upcoming African Union summit in Ethiopia to monitor the unfolding crisis.
As M23 forces approached Bukavu’s outskirts, businesses shuttered, and panicked residents fled, prompting African leaders to call for an immediate ceasefire. Civil society groups urged Congolese troops to avoid urban combat to prevent civilian casualties.
The rapid capture of Bukavu gives M23 control over the strategically significant Lake Kivu region, which spans the DR Congo-Rwanda border. The fall of the city echoes past conflicts, including its brief occupation by army defectors in 2004.
Amid fears of a broader regional conflict, several neighboring nations, along with South Africa, have already deployed troops in the area. Fighting reignited following a brief lull earlier in the week, prompting African leaders to convene a crisis meeting ahead of the AU summit.
Outgoing AU chair Moussa Faki Mahamat urged both sides to uphold the ceasefire, warning that military solutions would not resolve the crisis. However, Tshisekedi placed blame squarely on Rwanda, demanding global sanctions against Kigali at the Munich Security Conference.
Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of seeking to exploit DR Congo’s vast mineral wealth, including rare earth elements vital for electronics and gold reserves. Rwanda, in turn, denies these claims, asserting that it faces security threats from armed groups like the FDLR, a faction linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Diplomatic relations have further deteriorated, with both nations recalling their ambassadors and DR Congo closing its airspace to Rwandan flights.
According to UN estimates, nearly 3,000 people have died in the recent violence. In Goma, which fell to M23 in January, access to clean water remains scarce, forcing residents to collect supplies from Lake Kivu—where bodies from the conflict have been found. The UN has warned of a looming cholera outbreak, while aid groups struggle to reach displaced populations.
With hundreds of thousands forced into overcrowded camps, the humanitarian crisis worsens as health authorities battle the spread of diseases, including mpox, amid deteriorating conditions.
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