Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi traveled to Germany to attend Munich Security Conference in efforts to rally international support
The Rwanda-backed M23 fighters claim to have taken control of Kavumu airport serving Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The airport, primarily used for NGO and military flights and where DRC troops had been stationed, was the last significant military barrier for the rebel forces before reaching the city of more than one million people – the second largest in the region – which is 30km (19 miles) away.
The rebels reportedly faced minimal resistance as they advanced through the town, with the AFP news agency reporting that Congolese military personnel vacated the airport and retreated to Bukavu.
The Reuters news agency reported that the rebel fighters also took control of Katana, a town approximately 11km (7 miles) from the airport.
The movement comes before the African Union summit that starts in Ethiopia on Saturday.
The conflict in DRC will be a key topic of discussion at the annual two-day meeting. Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi had been expected to attend the summit but the country’s prime minister is now slated to replace him.
Tshisekedi attended the Munich Security Conference in Germany, in efforts to receive more international support, according to a statement from the presidency on social media on Friday.
Earlier this month, the AFC/M23 rebel coalition announced it would implement a unilateral ceasefire but resumed fighting after a two-day lull.
The outgoing chair of the African Union, Moussa Faki Mahamat, told AFP that a ceasefire in eastern DRC “must be observed”, adding that “military campaigns are not going to solve these problems.”
In late January, M23 fighters launched a rapid offensive and seized Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu. Since then, troops have been pushing southward towards Bukavu, seen as a strategic stronghold. The rebels have sought to move south following their capture of Goma, the largest city in eastern DRC.
The UN Refugee Agency says the situation is “rapidly deteriorating”, noting that the ongoing conflict has displaced about 350,000 people.
Following Goma’s fall, protests erupted in the capital Kinshasa, where demonstrators attacked a UN compound and several embassies, including those of Rwanda, France, Kenya and the United States, in response to what they perceived as foreign interference.