The M23 Rebels enter the heart of Bukabu, the second largest city in East Congo, and will take control of the Southern Kivu State Administration on Sunday, February 16th, 2025.
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Janvier Barhahiga/AP
BUKABU, Congo – Rwanda-backed rebels have “occupied” a second major city in the mineral-rich Congo, the Congolese government said on Sunday. “
Associated Press journalists witnessed scores from residents cheering for the rebels after entering Bucabu after a few days of marching from Goma, the 2 million city they seized last month .
The rebels saw little resistance from government forces to the unprecedented expansion of their reach after years of battle. The Congolese government vowed to restore orders in Bukabu, a city of 1.3 million people, but there were no signs of soldiers. Many were seen fleeing with thousands of civilians on Saturday.
The M23 is most notable of over 100 armed groups competing for control of the trillion dollar mineral wealth in Eastern Congo, important to many of the world’s technology. According to UN experts, the rebels are supported by troops of around 4,000 people from nearby Rwanda.
The battle has driven out more than 6 million people in the region, creating the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis.
Rebels vow to “cleanse” obstacles
Bernard Mahesh Biamung, one of the M23 leaders approved by the UN Security Council for rights abuse, stood in front of the South Kibhu Governor’s office in Bukabu, living in the “jungle” to residents. I told him there.
“We’re going to wipe out the obstacles left behind from the old administration,” Beiamung said. Some of the small young crowd cheered the rebels to “go to Kinshasa, the capital of the Congo.” .
M23 did not announce the seizure of Bukavu, unlike the announcement when he took Goma, which led to rapid international condemnation. A spokesman for M23 did not answer the question on Sunday.
In a statement on social media, the Congolese Ministry of Communications confirmed for the first time that Bukab was “occupied” and the central government is doing everything possible to restore order and territorial integrity in the region. “He said.
Blaze Biamung, a resident of Bukab, said the rebels marched into a city “abandoned by all authorities and lacking loyalty.”
“Is the government waiting for them to take over other towns to take action? It’s a coronavirus,” added Byamungu.
The fear of local escalation
Unlike in 2012, when M23 temporarily seized Goma and withdrew after international pressure, analysts said the rebels were focusing on political power this time.
The fighting in Congo has links to decades of ethnic conflict. The M23 says it is defending the ethnic Tutsi people of the Congo. Rwanda claims that the Tutsis were being persecuted by Hatos and former militias responsible for Rwanda’s 800,000 Tutsis and other 1994 genocide. Many Hutus fled to the Congo after the Genocide and established democratic troops to liberate the Rwandan militia group.
Rwanda says the militia group has been “fully integrated” with the Congolese army.
But the new face of the M23 in the region – Corneilu Nangaa, not Tutsi, is seen as “M23 always appears to be a Rwandan-backed armed group defending Tutsi minorities.” “Gives a more diverse Congolese face” to Christian Moleka, a political scientist at the Congolese think tank Dypol.
Congolese President Felix Tsisekedi on Saturday warned of the risk of regional expansion of the conflict, claiming Bukab remains under its control.
The Congolese army was supported in Bukabu by the Goma and Burundi forces by troops from South Africa. However, Burundi President Evaliste Ndaisimier appeared to suggest on social media that his country would not retaliate in the battle.
The conflict was high on the agenda of the African Union Summit in Ethiopia over the weekend, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warning that there was a risk of invading a major regional fire.
Yet, African leaders and the international community were reluctant to take decisive action against the M23 or Rwanda, which has one of Africa’s most powerful military forces. Most continue to seek ceasefires and dialogue between the Congo and the rebels.
The Congo River Alliance, a coalition of rebel groups, including the M23, said it was committed to “defending” the Bukabu people.
“We call on the population to continue to control their cities and not to succumb to panic,” Alliance spokesman Lawrence Kanika said in a statement Saturday.
