After seizing the Bukavu airport, the capital of South Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and penetrating its outskirts on Friday, they entered the heart of the city on Sunday.

An M23 attack on Bukavu near the Burundian border would mean heavy fighting with Burundian forces and possibly a direct war with Rwanda, he said. Burundi plays a major role in the conflict.

Last month, M23 rebels backed by Rwanda took the city of Goma in a bloody battle. This weekend, the group entered the gold-trading center of Bukavu in eastern Congo after government soldiers fled.

GOMA, Congo—Panic swept through eastern Congo’s second-largest city on Saturday as residents and soldiers fled by the thousands, scrambling to escape the looming advance of Rwanda-backed rebels.

Kinshasa, Feb 16 (EFE). – Local authorities and civil society leaders confirmed to EFE on Sunday that after the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group took over Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic ...

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 an African Union (AU) summit ...

But on Saturday, M23 did not appear to have taken decisive control of Bukavu. The group did not announce advances like a day earlier when they took control of an airport outside the city.

M23 fighters on Friday seized the airport serving Bukavu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, just as African leaders gathered for crisis talks on the escalating crisis.

Earlier on Friday, the Congolese army confirmed that M23 fighters had taken control of Kavumu airport, north of Bukavu, and that Congolese troops had pulled back with their equipment.

Fears of attack mount in Bukavu as M23 seize key airport. 3 min read. February 15, 2025 - 4:21AM. AFP. Congolese troops headed to Bukavu after M23 fighters seized the airport serving the city.

M23 fighters on Friday pushed on towards another regional capital in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, prompting shops and businesses to close and frightened civilians to flee, as African ...