DRC: M23 rebels seen in centre of strategic city Bukavu

Rwandan-backed M23 rebels were seen in the centre of eastern Congo's second-largest city, Bukavu, on Sunday, said a local official, a security source and five eyewitnesses.

A spokesperson for the M23 militia told Reuters: "we are there".

M23 spokesperson Willy Ngoma said in a telephone message that the group was in the city.

"I'm at home, and I can see with my own eyes the M23 entering our town," a local official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

The Congolese army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The armed group had been advancing on the capital of South Kivu province since seizing the city of Goma in late January.

Fighting resumes in DRC's South Kivu ahead of crisis talks

The M23 rebel group entered the outskirts of Bukavu, a city of 1.3 million in eastern DRC, in mid-February 2025.

This happened two weeks after Goma, another city in the region, came under the control of M23 rebels. With support from the Rwandan army, M23 already controls vast territory in eastern DRC.

Thousands flee eastern DRC as M23 rebels encircle provincial capital Goma

The fall of Bukavu, if confirmed, would represent the most significant expansion of territory under the M23's control since the latest insurgency started in 2022.

 (Reuters)