Panic gripped Bukavu on Saturday as Rwanda-backed M23 rebels advanced toward the city, triggering looting and raising fears of a broader regional war. Uganda’s army chief escalated tensions further by threatening to attack a Congolese town unless armed groups there surrendered.
The M23’s offensive has intensified since seizing Goma, eastern Congo’s largest city, late last month. Now advancing south, the rebels are approaching Bukavu, home to around 2 million people.
Looting at WFP Depot as Security Collapses
Amid the chaos, a World Food Programme (WFP) depot holding 6,800 metric tons of supplies was ransacked, worsening an already dire humanitarian situation, WFP spokesperson Claude Kalinga confirmed. The agency’s work in the region has been largely suspended due to insecurity.
Gunfire echoed through Bukavu overnight, with residents reporting that it came from looters rather than active combat.
M23 Presence in Bukavu’s Suburbs
Corneille Nangaa, leader of the rebel alliance that includes M23, claimed the group had entered Bukavu on Friday evening and would press further into the city. However, conflicting reports emerged.
While residents of the northern suburb of Bagira said they saw rebels on the streets, there were no signs of active fighting. A Congolese army officer stated that soldiers were being withdrawn to avoid a repeat of the bloodshed in Goma, where the UN estimates 3,000 people were killed before the city’s fall.
Eyewitnesses saw Congolese troops in Bukavu on Saturday, with multiple sources reporting that soldiers set fire to a weapons depot at a military base.
Uganda’s Military Threat Adds to Tensions
Uganda’s army chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, issued a stark ultimatum on X (formerly Twitter), warning he would attack the Congolese town of Bunia unless all forces there surrendered within 24 hours. His statement fuels concerns of a wider conflict reminiscent of the devastating Great Lakes wars of the 1990s and 2000s.
Uganda, which has deployed troops in eastern Congo since 2021 to fight Islamist militants, has been accused by UN experts of also backing M23.
Calls for Diplomacy as Crisis Deepens
Speaking at the African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged negotiations to prevent further escalation. However, Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi has refused direct talks with M23 and skipped the AU summit, sending his prime minister instead. Tshisekedi returned to Kinshasa on Saturday after attending the Munich Security Conference.
Meanwhile, the US has warned of potential sanctions on officials from both Rwanda and Congo, while the EU signaled it may take action to support Kinshasa.
Rwanda denies involvement in the conflict, with President Paul Kagame insisting in a Facebook post that his country “has nothing to do with Congo’s problems.”
As Bukavu teeters on the brink, fears grow that the crisis in eastern Congo could spiral into a full-blown regional war.
