M23 Rebels, RDF Seize Bukavu Airport In Eastern DR Congo
On Friday, M23 insurgents and Rwandan troops seized the airport that serves Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to security and humanitarian sources.
The key point, where Congolese forces had been stationed, was the last military impediment to the anti-government army before reaching the city of a million people, which was around 30 kilometers (17 miles) away.
The development occurred as officials gathered for an African Union meeting, which included discussions on the region’s rising violence, which has raised worries of a larger conflict.
Congo army seen in central Bukavu as M23 rebels advance
— News18 (@CNNnews18) February 15, 2025
Source: Reuters | #Rwanda #M23Rebels #Bukavu #Congo pic.twitter.com/fXo60xK21p
M23 forces seized Goma, the provincial seat of North Kivu, in a lightning onslaught in late January and have since moved south towards the city.
According to security sources, the party encountered little resistance in the village of Kavumu, where the airport is located.
Bukavu fell to soldiers who fled the Congolese army in 2004, and capturing the city would practically give the M23 complete control of the Lake Kivu region.
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On Friday morning, an AFP correspondent on the ground reported seeing vans full of Congolese military returning to Bukavu.
M23 rebels have seized control of Bukavu, including the city’s airport, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict in eastern DR Congo. The M23’s presence at the airport has been confirmed, as the group continues its advance. pic.twitter.com/W2mSaYhJXs
— Geopoliti𝕏 (@DalioTroy) February 14, 2025
M23 rebels, reportedly backed by about 4,000 troops from neighbouring Rwanda, enter eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's second-largest city of Bukavu, residents say. This marks the latest ground gained since a major escalation in their yearslong conflict with government forces pic.twitter.com/7saA0IeU17
— TRT World (@trtworld) February 15, 2025
Motorbikes filled with beds and personal goods began to unload on city streets.
“The road is full of soldiers with their families and their effects leaving Nyamunyunye,” one local villager said, referring to the military camp near the airport.
In Bukavu, city officials sent their employees home, and businesses shuttered.
M23 Rebels, RDF Seize Bukavu Airport In Eastern DR Congo
