The Rwanda-backed M23 rebels entered Bukabu, the second largest city in the Democratic Republic of Eastern Congo, seized the office of the regional governor.
Some lined the streets to applause and cheer as the fighters marched and ran into the city centre without resisting. This is the second city after Goma, who has fallen into rebels in the past few weeks in the mineral-rich region.
The Congolese government has recognized the fall, urging its residents to stay home “to avoid targets of occupation forces.”
The UN and European countries have warned that the latest attacks, which have seen hundreds of thousands of people being forced from their homes, could lead to a wider regional war.
A Bukabu resident asked the BBC on Sunday to remain anonymous due to concerns about her safety, and told the BBC that most people are still afraid to leave the house.
“Since yesterday, children and young people have taken their weapons. They are shooting and looting them everywhere in all directions,” she said.
“The M23 came in this morning and they were praised by the people. I’m very happy to see them. I don’t know if they’re afraid or because they found out they don’t have authorities in the city.
“I still hear where I live (the shooting).”
On Friday, the M23 acquired the major airport in Bukabu about 30km (18 miles) north of the city, before beginning to slowly advance towards the city, the capital of the southern Kivu province.
Governor Jean Jacques Prussy Sadiki confirmed to Reuters that the fighter jets were in the heart of Bukabu city by Sunday morning, and that Congolese forces had withdrawn to avoid the city’s battle. He added.
This left a security gap in the city on Saturday, leading to a chaotic scene, including a prison break where prisons were reported from the central prison.
The Un World Food Program (WFP) said the warehouse with nearly 7,000 tonnes of food was looted.
The approximately 2 million city at the southern tip of Lake Kivu crosses the border with Rwanda and is an important transport option for local mineral trade.
That fall represents an unprecedented expansion of M23 territory since the latest rebellion began in late 2021, causing a blow to President Felix Zisekedi’s government.
Government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said Rwanda is violating the territorial integrity of Dr. Congo through expansionist ambitions and human rights abuses.
The Congolese government has accused Rwanda of sowing chaos in the region and putting troops on the ground, which can benefit from its natural resources, Kigali denies.
President Tshisekedi hopes Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame will face sanctions over the latest unrest.
However, President Kagame dismissed such a threat — and repeatedly pointed out that its security is Rwanda’s main priority.
He has long been angry at how Congolese authorities see it as a failure to deal with the Congo-based FLDR rebel group.
The group is composed primarily of some members of the Hutu ethnic ethnic group accused of being involved in Rwandan genocide for more than 100 days, when about 800,000 people were killed by a Tutsi ethnic group. .
They gathered at the Independence Dance location in the central Bukabu tribe and gathered in central Bukabu on Sunday. There, one of its commanders, Bernard Biamungou, was filmed chatting with locals and answering questions in Swahili.
He urged government forces to surrender “in his house” and accused the retreat of spreading fear by arming local youths who went on a predatory rampage.
The African Union (AU) – serving as Secretary of State in Ethiopia this weekend – once again urged the M23 to disarm.
“We are all very concerned about open regional wars,” Reuters quoted Bankhall Adeo, the AU’s peace and security committee member.
