M23 rebels in the heart of Bukavu
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I The M23 rebels are throwing more tenterhooks around the DR Congo territory in what experts are predicting to result into the partition of the of the huge central African country.
According to UN experts, the group, which is supported by about 4,000 Rwandan soldiers now control big swaths of eastern Democratic of Congo, the region rich in natural resources.
The M23, which is made up primarily of Tutsis, opposes the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Rwandan Hutu rebel group, as well as Mai-Mai militias—local community-based armed groups supported by the Congolese government.
Its rapid advance has sent thousands fleeing, after fighters took control of the South Kivu provincial capital, weeks after capturing Goma, the capital of North Kivu and main city in the country’s East.
Recent gains have given M23 control of Lake Kivu following an offense in the east. The recent outbreak of fighting, according to the UN, has led to an exodus of more than 50,000 Congolese to Burundi, Uganda and other countries.
Members of M23 guarding senior members following the fall of Bukavu
A source that talked to Habari Daily before we went to press revealed that currently, almost no Congolese soldiers are fighting. “The Congolese forces have been retreating without offering significant resistance. The only ones fighting are the Wazalendo pro Kinshasa militia,” said our source.
The source further said the M23 are now moving toward the town of Uvira, near the Burundi border on the northwestern tip of Lake Tanganyika. This has neen the main exit route for the fleeing Congolese soldiers.
“Uvira is engulfed in chaos. As we speak, thousands of soldiers and their families are crossing the town on foot to reach the port. Over 400 inmates from Uvira prison have escaped, throwing the area into confusion and insecurity.
Our source further disclosed that, on the Northern front, M23 rebels are just 9 miles from Lubero, a strategic town and were seen looting shops.
“Relative calm only returned in the area after the intervention of Ugandan troops deployed in the region as part of the joint operation with the Congolese army.
Bukavu in balance
The M23 rebels recently pledged to restore security in Bukavu as an escalation in fighting fans fears of an all-out regional war.
Bukavu became the second major city in the country’s east to fall under the control of the M23 since late last month.
Traces of Rwandan soldiers on the frontline
Residents of the capital of South Kivu province were tentatively walking the streets again on Monday, a day after the rebels overran the city with next to no resistance from the fleeing Congolese army.
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.
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.
UN intervention
In a unanimous resolution, the Security Council condemned the M23 advances with the support of the Rwanda Defense Forces.
The United Nations Security Council on Friday urged the Rwandan military to withdraw its support for the M23 rebel and pull out its soldiers from Congolese territory “without preconditions.”
The resolution says it “strongly condemns the ongoing offensive and advances of the M23 in North Kivu and South Kivu with the support of the Rwanda Defense Forces.”
Soldiers in a panic
It also called on the Rwanda Defense Forces “to cease support to the M23 and immediately withdraw from DRC territory without preconditions.”
Earlier, the Security Council had called for an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire” by all parties, but on Friday all countries including the three African members held Kigali responsible for the first time.
Congo accuses Rwanda of using M23 as a proxy to loot its natural resources. Meanwhile, Rwanda accuses Congo of supporting ethnic Hutu militias such as the FDLR, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda.
