Conflict escalates dangerously in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Earlier that day, the military confirmed that M23 fighters had taken control of Kavumu airport, about 30 km north of Bukavu, and that government forces had withdrawn. The takeover of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, represents an unprecedented territorial expansion under the control of the opposition armed group since the last uprising began in 2022. The developments on February 14 also marked a setback for the power of the Kinshasa government in the east.

Government troops in Bukavu left in vehicles on February 14.

"We entered Bukavu this afternoon (February 14), and tomorrow we will continue the operation to cleanse the city," AFP quoted Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Congo River Alliance, which includes the M23. A UN representative said that since February 13, they had observed a stream of evacuees heading towards the city, which has a population of nearly 1.3 million.

While fighting continues in the east, the capital Kinshasa is under increased military protection, according to AFP. Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi is seeking an international solution in hopes of ending the crisis soon, which he says stems from the Rwandan-backed M23 group seeking to seize Congolese resources. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on February 14, Tshisekedi warned of the risk of the conflict spreading beyond borders and called for international sanctions against Rwanda as punishment.

However, Rwanda rejected the accusation and stated that its national security was also facing threats from armed groups. Neither President Tshisekedi nor his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame attended the emergency meeting of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council on February 14th, aimed at finding a solution to the conflict. Tshisekedi was also absent from the AU summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 15th, as he needed to closely monitor the situation on the ground in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/xung-dot-leo-thang-nguy-hiem-o-chdc-congo-185250215211853869.htm