Rwanda-backed M23 rebels violate the second major city in the mineral-rich eastern part of Congo
The Congolese government said on Sunday that Rwanda-backed rebels “occupies” the second major city in the mineral-rich Congolese mineral-rich eastern part of Congo, as M23 rebels position themselves in the governor’s office in Bukavu and in the “old” The regime promised to clean up afterwards.
An Associated Press reporter witnessed dozens of residents cheering among the rebels after entering Bukavu after a few days in Goma.
The rebels had hardly opposed the unprecedented expansion after years of combat. The Congolese government vowed to restore the city of Bukavu, a 1.3 million-person city, but showed no signs of soldiers. Many people were seen fleeing with thousands of civilians on Saturday.
The M23 is the most outstanding of more than 100 armed groups, competing for trillions of dollars in mineral wealth in eastern Congo, which is crucial to many of the world’s technologies. According to UN experts, the rebels were supported by about 4,000 soldiers from neighboring Rwanda.
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Fighting in the region displaced more than 6 million people, causing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
Rebels vow to “clean up” disease
Bernard Maheshe Byamungu, one of the M23 leaders approved by the UN Security Council for the Abuse of Rights, stood in the Governor’s office of South Kivu in Bukavu and told Residents, they have been living in the “jungle”.
Byamungu said: “We will clean up the diseases left over from the old regime.
M23 did not announce any seizure of Bukavu, unlike the announcement when Goma was announced, which drew condemnation from Swift International. A spokesperson for M23 did not answer questions on Sunday.
In a statement on social media, the Congo’s Ministry of Communications admitted for the first time that Bukavu has been “occupied” and said the national government is “doing everything possible to restore order and territorial integrity in the region”.
Blaise Byamungu, a Bukawu resident, said the rebels marched into cities that were “abandoned by all authorities and without any loyal force.”
Byamungu added: “Is the government waiting for them to take over other towns to take action? It’s cowardly.”
M23 rebels entered Bukavu, the second largest city in Eastern Congo, and controlled the South Kivu provincial administrative office on Sunday. (AP Photo/Janvier Barhahiga)
Worry about regional upgrades
As the 2012 M23 briefly caught and retreated under international pressure, analysts said the rebels were focusing on political power this time.
The link between the battle in Congo and decades-long racial conflict. M23 said it is in Congo’s health. Rwanda claims Tutsis was persecuted by Hutus, while former militia carried out 800,000 Tutsis and others in 1994 . After the genocide, many people fled to Congo and established democratic forces for the liberation of the Rwandan militia.
Rwanda said militia groups were “fully integrated” into the Congolese army that refused.
But the new face of the M23 in the region – Corneille Nangaa – is not Tusai, which gives the group “a new, more diverse face of Congolese, as M23 has been seen as an armed group defending the Tussi minority, ”To Christian Moleka, a political scientist at the Congolese think tank.
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Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi claimed on Saturday that Bukavu was still under control, warning of the risk of expansion in conflict zones.
The Congolese troops were supported by troops from South Africa and Burundi with the support of Goma. But Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye seems to have hinted on social media that his country will not retaliate in the fight.
Over the weekend, the African Union summit had a great conflict on Ethiopia’s agenda, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres warning it risking a spiral towards regional fires.
Nevertheless, African leaders and the international community are reluctant to take decisive action against the M23 or Rwanda, one of Africa’s most powerful military forces. Most continued to demand a ceasefire and dialogue between the Congo and the rebels.
The Congo River Alliance, the coalition of rebel groups including M23, said it was committed to “defending” the people of Bukaf.
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“We call on people to control their cities, not panic,” Alliance spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka said in a statement Saturday.
