DR Congo troops pull back as M23 rebels take airport near Bukavu

Rwandan-backed M23 rebels appeared on Friday to be closing in on eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s second-largest city, Bukavu, as they seized control of the nearby airport of Kavumu, prompting Congolese troops to withdraw in some areas.

The rebels have been trying to push south towards Bukavu since they seized Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, at the end of last month.

The capture of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, would represent an unprecedented expansion of territory under the M23’s control since the latest insurgency started in 2022, and deal a further blow to Kinshasa’s authority in the east.

“The city of Bukavu can no longer hold,” a local civil society source said.

A spokesman for the Congolese army, Sylvain Ekenge, confirmed that rebels had taken control of the strategic Kavumu airport to the north of Bukavu and that Congolese troops had pulled back with their equipment.

He did not say where they had withdrawn to, but Congolese and Burundian troops were seen leaving Bukavu’s main military camp, Saio, two residents and one UN source said.