Fears of fresh massacres have gripped Congo’s second largest city of Bukavu as Rwandan-backed M23 rebels continue to advance on the city of 1.3 million people.
Earlier this week, a new UN report warned that unprecedented levels of sexual violence against women and children had been carried out by the M23 group as they vie for control of Congo’s mineral-rich east.
Among the most shocking instances of mass sexual violence was a jail break from Munzenze prison late last month, in which female inmates were butchered in their wing of the notoriously overcrowded prison after men forced their way in and went on a rampage.
UNICEF has also reported 572 rape cases for the week of January 27 to February 2, 170 of which were children.
Now, as Congo descends into further violence, Bukavu residents are fleeing in their thousands as they seek refuge from M23 rebels who have entered the outskirts of the city.
Following a period of prolonged gunfighting, Congolese troops have now exited the city, with their presence replaced by roaming throngs of looters.
Filling flour sacks with what they can find, Bukavu residents have described the mass looting taking place as burnt corpses lay in the streets.
Reports and social media videos have also showed the region’s factories pillaged and prisons emptied while electricity remained on and communication lines open in most places.
M23 rebels stand guard during a CRA meeting in the town of Goma in eastern Congo
Civilians flee in the back of a truck from the fighting between government forces and rebels
A displaced child pictured at a Congolese refugee camp on the outskirts of Goma
Speaking to the AP, one Bukavu resident claimed he had witnessed state soldiers joining in with the looters.
Residents have also reported the deaths of innocent civilians in the city’s outskirts, blaming stray bullets from gunfights between government forces and rebels.
These rebels are part of the Congo River Alliance (CRA), a coalition of rebel factions that includes M23.
The CRA have criticised Congolese government forces and their allies from local militia and Burundi for the deaths of Bukavu civilians.
M23 have been pushing southwards through Congo with their 4,000-strong force since taking the city of Goma.
Congolese authorities and international observers have accused it of sexual violence, forced conscription and summary executions.
Their success in seizing land now presents an unprecedented challenge to the central government in the capital city of Kinshasa.
To date, the rebellion has killed almost 3,000 people in the east of the country with at least 350,000 internally displaced people without shelter according to the UN and Congolese authorities.
Members of the M23 rebel group in Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Civilians in the city of Bukavu load up their vehicles as they attempt to flee intense fighting
M23 rebels pictured riding through the outskirts of Bukavu
The remains of vehicle caught in the crossfire of fighting between the government forces and rebels
Earlier this week rebels also claimed to have seized control of a second airport in the region in the town of Kavumu outside Bukavu.
Congolese troops had been using the strategically important airport to resupply troops and humanitarian groups. However, the CRA have claimed they took control of Kavumu airport to prevent government forces from launching airstrikes against civilians.
Government officials and local civil society leaders didn’t immediately comment, though Congo’s Communications Ministry said the rebels had violated ceasefire agreements and attacked Congolese troops working to avoid urban warfare and violence in Bukavu.
The chain of events mirror what transpired last month in the lead-up to the M23’s capture of Goma. Congo’s military, despite its size and funding, has long been hindered by shortcomings in training and coordination and recurring reports of corruption.
Now, regional leaders fear that the conflict could spread beyond the borders of Congo, with the conflict set to be discussed at the African Union summit in Ethiopa this weekend.
Congolese president Felix Tshisekedi has been leading calls for the international community to intervene in quelling the rebels advances and blacklisting ‘expansionist’ Rwanda for backing M23.
Despite these calls though, both regional leaders and the international community have been reluctant to take decisive action.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned though the conflict could spiral into a regional conflagration should fighting not cease.
The streets of Bukavu have been left largely deserted after a wave of looting gripped the city
The burnt remains of a person lie in the middle of an empty Bukavu street
An upturned armored vehicle of the Democratic Republic of Congo Armed Forces (FARDC) is seen in Sake on February 9, 2025
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned though the conflict could spiral into a regional conflagration should fighting not cease
‘Regional escalation must be avoided at all costs,’ Guterres told the African Union summit. ‘The sovereignty and territorial integrity of (Congo) must be respected.’
Though Guterres said that the solution to the conflict lay in Africa, African leaders disagree on how to resolve the conflict in a way that satisfies the warring parties.
Despite universal calls for a ceasefire, the rebellion has inflamed historic tensions within the Great Lakes region.
Troops from Burundi have been deployed to bolster Congolese forces, with Ugandan troops fighting other rebel groups in eastern Congo.
Ugandan troops have been hunting Islamist Allied Democratic Forces north of Bukavu where the fighting has escalated to a severe degree.
In a post on X on Saturday, Uganda’s top military commander called on all militia members to surrender within the next 24 hours or face attack.
