Rwanda-Backed Rebels Capture Second Major City in Eastern Congo
- M23 rebels take airport, Bukavu city with little resistance
- Rebels now control all of Lake Kivu along Rwanda-Congo border
An Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) soldier sits on the back of a pick-up truck in Bukavu on Feb. 14.
Photographer: Amani Alimasi/AFP/Getty Images
Rwanda-backed rebels captured a second major strategic city in the Democratic Republic of Congo, expanding their dominance over the country’s mineral-rich east amid the widening conflict.
After taking control of the nearby airport, the M23 walked into Bukavu on Friday and faced little resistance as Congo’s army retreated, according to the United Nations. The fall of Bukavu marks a major escalation in the conflict between Congo, M23 and its Rwandan backers, coming two weeks after the rebels seized the city of Goma on the north shore of Lake Kivu, leaving more than 3,000 people dead and a similar number wounded.