Rwandan-backed M23 rebels pledge to restore security in Bukavu as an escalation in fighting fans fears of an all-out regional war.
Rwanda-backed rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have promised to “restore security” in Bukavu, the second major city in the country’s east to fall under the control of the M23 since late last month.
Residents of the capital of South Kivu province were tentatively walking the streets again on Monday, a day after M23 rebels overran the city with next to no resistance from the fleeing Congolese army.
Thousands of people have fled to neighbouring Burundi while some residents who stayed behind welcomed the M23 as columns of fighters entered Bukavu on Sunday morning.
In a statement read on local radio on Monday, a rebel alliance that includes M23 said it would assist the population of Bukavu who were “abandoned” by the army and allied combatants.
“Our forces have been working to restore the security for the people and their property, much to the satisfaction of the entire population,” it said.
Bukavu is the latest city to fall into the hands of the M23, also known as the March 23 Movement, which in recent months has seized swathes of territory in the eastern DRC after again taking up arms in late 2021.
The capture of the commercial hub of 1.3 million people has dealt a further blow to Kinshasa’s authority and escalated a conflict that has fanned fears of an all-out regional war.
The M23 began advancing in South Kivu after last month taking control of Goma, the capital of neighbouring North Kivu province, which borders Rwanda. Fighting between the M23 and the Congolese army there left thousands dead, according to the United Nations.
Erasto Bahati Musanga, the rebel-appointed governor of North Kivu, announced that ports in Bukavu and Goma would reopen on Tuesday.
Navigation on Lake Kivu, one of the largest lakes in Africa, had been banned since late January as a result of the rebel offensive on Goma.
Although a bloodbath was avoided in Bukavu, the city’s streets were still littered with rubbish left by residents who took advantage of the confusion to loot humanitarian warehouses, shops and the local brewery.
The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) on Monday said looters made off with 7,000 tonnes of humanitarian food supplies at the weekend.
The agency condemned the attack on its Bukavu warehouses in a post on X, saying the food supplies “were meant to provide vital support to the most vulnerable families who now face a growing humanitarian crisis”.
It also urged all parties to the conflict “to respect their obligations vis-à-vis international humanitarian law”, which includes the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers.
1 /3 #WFP condemns the looting of our warehouses in #Bukavu, #SouthKivu, in the eastern #DRCongo🇨🇩 over the weekend. The vital food supplies stored were intended to provide life-saving support to the most vulnerable families who now face a growing humanitarian crisis, pic.twitter.com/sYUzbRXdUw
— WFP DRC (@WFPDRC) February 17, 2025
Standing before his looted shop, Pascal Zulu said he did not know how he could repay the loan he took out to buy merchandise.
“The thugs arrived, they took everything, and nothing remains. I’m really upset. I don’t know how I’m going to repay the money I borrowed,” he said.
Economic activity was gradually resuming in the city, however. In two markets, traders returned to their stalls, although customers were few and far between.
“We are taking advantage of this calm to restart our commercial activities, otherwise how will we live?” fruit and spice seller Maman Nyabadeu told the AFP news agency.
The M23 is the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups vying for control of eastern Congo’s trillions of dollars in mineral wealth.
The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighbouring Rwanda, according to UN experts. Rwanda has rejected allegations from the DRC, the UN, and Western powers that it supports the group with arms and troops.