AFRICA/DR CONGO - Bukavu in the hands of the M23; the testimony of a local source

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - "The shops are still closed, but people are still seen on the streets, albeit few. Since yesterday, February 16, the gunfire has stopped. Bukavu is living in apparent peace after being taken over by the M23 rebel movement and the Rwandan army," reports a Fides source from the local Church in the capital of the province of South Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The city was taken after an advance that started from the neighboring province of North Kivu (whose capital fell into the hands of the M23 militias at the end of January). The operation first captured the airport of Kavumu, about thirty kilometers from the city, before the fighters advanced on the capital of South Kivu.
"In the days between Friday 14 and Saturday 15 February, I witnessed shootings and looting," said the Fides source, who wished to remain anonymous. "The soldiers of the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) who left the city, left behind many weapons and ammunition. Looting took place mainly in Kadutu, the historic district of the old town where the main local market is held. On Sunday morning, February 16, M23 militiamen and Rwandan soldiers entered the city in a row after approaching it on the highway number 2 that connects the city to Kavumu. Some residents greeted them with cries of joy; we think that this behavior is an expression of fear and also the feeling that the wait for a disturbing event that had been looming for days is finally over."
"The authorities had already fled days ago and the population lacked a binding word to get through these moments. Only Archbishop François-Xavier Maroy Rusengo spoke out, asking for Bukavu to be spared from the same fate as Goma, where the invasion of Rwandan and M23 fighters caused a massacre. Civil society turned to the authorities for advice, but to no avail. The general opinion, however, was that, given the unequal balance of power, it was better to welcome the militiamen to avoid a repeat the tragedy of Goma," the source concluded. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 17/2/2025)

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