A crowd of civilians celebrated the arrival of M23 rebels in Bukavu’s metropolis centre with chants and cheers.
It is the second regional capital metropolis within the Democratic Republic of Congo that the rebels have taken since early January, once they launched a lightning-speed offensive on Goma in neighbouring North Kivu.
M23 marched south into Bukavu on Saturday, though conflicting stories initially made it troublesome to verify the extent of its advance.
They seemingly encountered little to no resistance.
Congolese troopers and allied troops from Burundi had reportedly retreated from Bukavu’s navy bases on Friday, the identical day that M23 took management of a regional airport round 30 kilometres exterior of Bukavu.
Reports emerged of sporadic gunfire and the looting of a World Food Programme depot and supermarkets in Bukavu.
Despite the chaotic scenes, most streets of the town had been truly abandoned for hours as residents hid of their properties from looters and the rebels.
Faced with the rising danger of a regional battle, the worldwide neighborhood has stepped up its requires deescalation and a ceasefire.
Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN, reiterated throughout an African Union summit on Saturday to ” keep away from a regional escalation in any respect prices.”
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