In Pictures

M23 rebels tighten their grip on major city in eastern DRC

Rwandan-backed M23 rebels patrol major intersections in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province.

M23 rebels enter the centre of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo's second-largest city, Bukavu. [Janvier Barhahiga/AP Photo]

Published On 17 Feb 202517 Feb 2025

Rwanda-backed rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have tightened their grip on Bukavu, the second major city to fall under M23 control in the country’s east since late last month.

M23 rebels captured the city of 1.3 million people on Sunday after it was abandoned by Congolese forces.

The capital of the DRC’s South Kivu province, Bukavu lies 101km (63 miles) south of Goma, which was captured by the rebels in late January.

As the rebels made their way into Bukavu, its streets were flooded by residents attempting to leave and looters filling flour sacks with what they could find.

A pall of silence set in later as residents and business owners braced for M23’s entrance into the city centre.

On Monday morning, people gradually started coming out again while the rebels patrolled major intersections in the city.

Bukavu’s border crossing to Rwanda was closed on Monday morning, as were most shops and stores while traffic gradually picked up again.

M23 is the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups vying for control of trillions of dollars worth of minerals in the eastern DRC. Those minerals are critical for much of the world’s technology.

The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighbouring Rwanda, according to United Nations experts.

The M23’s push has drawn international concern, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres saying that a “regional escalation must be avoided at all costs”.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called for an immediate ceasefire, a withdrawal by the rebels and the safe return of Congolese authorities to Bukavu.

M23 rebels guard outside the South Kivu province administrative office in Bukavu. [Janvier Barhahiga/AP Photo]

M23 rebels patrol Bukavu, the DRC's second-largest city. [Janvier Barhahiga/AP Photo]

Members of the Congolese Red Cross recover bodies from the streets of Bukavu. [AFP]

The fall of Bukavu gives the M23 total control of Lake Kivu following the group's capture of Goma, capital of neighbouring North Kivu province, at the end of January. [AFP]

A vendor sells fruit at a market in Bukavu. [Amani Alimasi/AFP]

Congolese civilians who fled from Bukavu carry their belongings as they gather at the Rusizi border crossing point to return home, in Rusizi district, Rwanda. [Reuters]

A Rwandan police officer opens the barrier at the Rusizi border crossing, as Congolese families displaced by ongoing clashes return to the country. [Luis Tato/AFP]