Congo rebels promise security in Bukavu after looting

By Reuters

Residents of eastern Congo’s second-largest city on Monday surveyed the aftermath of widespread looting that accompanied the arrival of Rwandan-backed M23 rebels who have pledged to restore order.

The M23 fighters moved into the centre of Bukavu on Sunday, marking the Tutsi-led group’s most significant advance since seizing east Congo’s biggest city of Goma in late January.

The capture of Bukavu, a commercial hub, and of the strategic airport that services the city in the nearby town of Kavumu dealt a further blow to Kinshasa’s authority and escalated a conflict that has fanned fears of an all-out regional war.

Congo’s government has so far stopped short of saying Bukavu was fully under M23 control. Congolese and allied Burundian troops withdrew from the city to avoid fighting in densely populated areas, creating a power vacuum that gave rise to looting and a prison break.

In a statement read on