Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have taken Democratic Republic of Congo’s strategic city of Bukavu in the country’s mineral-rich east. This means M23 now controls all of eastern Congo's border with Rwanda along Lake Kivu,

Residents of Bukavu formed long lines outside banks to withdraw cash, a scarce commodity since the M23 rebel group seized control of the city. Last weekend's looting and the rebel group's takeover of Bukavu made locals increasingly anxious about their basic daily needs.

The M23 rebels entered the city's Kazingu and Bagira zone and were advancing towards the center of the city of about 1.3 million people, according to Jean Samy, vice-president of the civil society in South Kivu.

Along with the Rwandan minister for regional integration, James Kabarebe, the U.S. also sanctioned a spokesperson of the M23 rebels, Lawrence Kanyuka

M23 rebels pledge to restore security in Bukavu as an escalation in fighting fans fears of an all-out regional war.

On 14 February, the M23 rebels, backed by the Rwandan army, seized control of Kavumu Airport, located about 30 kilometres from the provincial capital of South Kivu.

Rwanda-backed M23 insurgents shot dead three boys who had picked up guns left by Congolese soldiers fleeing the rebel advance in eastern Congo, the U.N. said on Tuesday, adding the incident to a list of grave human rights violations reported during the conflict.

Government forces and local militias have clashed south of the provincial capital of Bukavu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as troops fall back in the face of an advance by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels,

Bukavu's fall, if confirmed, marks the armed group's most significant advance since it revived a decade-old insurgency in east Congo in 2022.

Smoke was seen rising from a prison in Bukavu on Sunday (February 16), a day after a breakout, as Rwandan-backed M23 rebels advanced into the center of the second-largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Eyewitness video showed Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in the centre of Bukavu, the second largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, as a spokesperson for the militia told Reuters on Sunday (February 16): "we are there.

On Saturday there were reports of sporadic gunfire and widespread looting in the city, including at a World Food Programme depot, with residents sheltering in their homes. It follows conflicting reports about whether the Rwanda-backed rebels had entered the key city of Bukavu,