The Congolese AFC/M23 group has warned the Kinshasa regime and its coalition forces of continued attacks on civilian populations, which they said greatly undermines the ongoing ceasefire to which parties committed.

LIVE: M23 Captures South Kivu’s Capital Bukavu as DR Congo Soldiers Flee | Firstpost Africa Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have captured the second-biggest city in DR Congo’s mineral-rich East. They have captured Bukavu,

Residents of eastern Congo's second-largest city on Monday surveyed the aftermath of widespread looting that accompanied the arrival of Rwandan-backed M23 rebels who have pledged to restore order.

Panic swept through Bukavu on Saturday as residents and soldiers fled by the thousands, scrambling to escape the looming advance of the Rwandan-backed rebels. View on euronews

In Bukavu, a chaotic situation was unfolding ... we shall remove these clothes because we have noticed that the government in Kinshasa abandoned us. It is not supplying us with anything. It is sending us to the [battle] field but we don't have the means ...

M23 rebels captured Bukavu, the capital of the eastern DRC’s South Kivu province, on 16 February with little resistance from government forces. Bukavu is a commercial hub of about 1.3 million people, the fall of which is another significant blow to Kinshasa’s authority at home and in the region.

Movement, backed by Rwanda, now controls Goma and Bukavu—and the entire Kivu Lake region—by force. The rebel group is now learning the complex art of running two of DR Congo’s largest cities.

Last week, they captured the strategic towns of Kalehe and Kavumu. Over the weekend, M23 fighters progressively entered Bukavu, South Kivu's capital and one of the most populated cities in eastern DRC, as FARDC troops and allied forces reportedly withdrew ...

The capture of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, would represent an unprecedented expansion of territory under the M23's control since the latest insurgency started in 2022 and deal a further blow to Kinshasa's authority in the east.

and Justin Makangara from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday entered the vital trading hub of Bukavu in the east of the country ...

M23 rebels have captured Bukavu in the DRC, following Goma's fall, with locals surprisingly welcoming them. The DRC faces systemic corruption, military failures, and human rights abuses, while M23 claims to protect the Tutsi community.

Kigali, in turn, alleges that Kinshasa collaborates with the Democratic Forces for ... which is located about 30 kilometers from Bukavu, which is the capital of South Kivu province. Government officials and civil society leaders did not immediately comment.