Rwanda-backed M23 rebels are moving “rapidly” through South Kivu province toward the city of Bukavu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations (UN) said.
The UN is “deeply concerned” by the rebel advance, according to Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“Our colleagues in the peacekeeping mission say there are reports of Rwanda Defence Force cross-border movements in that direction” as well, Dujarric told reporters in New York on Thursday. Clashes between the rebels and Congolese troops are ongoing in the province, he said.
Bukavu is located along Congo’s border with Rwanda at the southern-most point of Lake Kivu. It’s a major trading hub and important transit point for minerals including gold.
M23 took the city of Goma in Congo’s mineral-rich North Kivu province earlier this week, backed by Rwandan soldiers, according to UN officials. They overpowered Congo’s army, UN peacekeepers and allied forces and now control the city of 2-million
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