Congo: M23 armed group enters Bukavu capital of South Kivu Province

In Congo, the March 23 Movement (M23) armed group has announced that its fighters have entered Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu Province.

 

In a statement released yesterday, the M23 called on Bukavu residents to form vigilance committees to ensure security and to appoint honest and responsible people to lead them. 

 

The group’s spokesperson, Laurence Kanyuka, confirmed that the M23 had entered the city. On Friday, the M23 announced that it had seized Kavumu Airport, a vital humanitarian and military supply hub in South Kivu. 

 

The airport



serves as a key defensive line for Bukavu, located about 30 kilometers away.

 

Analysts point out that the ongoing conflict between the M23 and the government is deeply rooted in the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and long-standing ethnic tensions between the Tutsi and Hutu communities. 

 

Congo accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23, while Rwanda alleges that the Congo army has allied with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, a rebel group accused of participating in the genocide against the Tutsi.