Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi traveled to Germany to attend Munich Safety Convention in efforts to rally worldwide assist
The Rwanda-backed M23 fighters declare to have taken management of Kavumu airport serving Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province within the jap Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The airport, primarily used for NGO and navy flights and the place DRC troops had been stationed, was the final important navy barrier for the insurgent forces earlier than reaching town of multiple million folks – the second largest within the area – which is 30km (19 miles) away.
The rebels reportedly confronted minimal resistance as they superior by way of the city, with the AFP information company reporting that Congolese navy personnel vacated the airport and retreated to Bukavu.
The Reuters information company reported that the insurgent fighters additionally took management of Katana, a city roughly 11km (7 miles) from the airport.
The motion comes earlier than the African Union summit that begins in Ethiopia on Saturday.
The battle in DRC shall be a key matter of debate on the annual two-day assembly. Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi had been anticipated to attend the summit however the nation’s prime minister is now slated to interchange him.
Tshisekedi attended the Munich Safety Convention in Germany, in efforts to obtain extra worldwide assist, in keeping with an announcement from the presidency on social media on Friday.
Earlier this month, the AFC/M23 insurgent coalition introduced it will implement a unilateral ceasefire however resumed preventing after a two-day lull.
The outgoing chair of the African Union, Moussa Faki Mahamat, advised AFP {that a} ceasefire in jap DRC “should be noticed”, including that “navy campaigns should not going to unravel these issues.”
In late January, M23 fighters launched a speedy offensive and seized Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu. Since then, troops have been pushing southward in direction of Bukavu, seen as a strategic stronghold. The rebels have sought to maneuver south following their seize of Goma, the biggest metropolis in jap DRC.
The UN Refugee Company says the scenario is “quickly deteriorating”, noting that the continued battle has displaced about 350,000 folks.
Following Goma’s fall, protests erupted within the capital Kinshasa, the place demonstrators attacked a UN compound and a number of other embassies, together with these of Rwanda, France, Kenya and the USA, in response to what they perceived as overseas interference.
