Rwandan-backed M23 rebels advanced on Sunday into the centre of Bukavu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, meeting little resistance from government troops, witnesses and the armed group said, as Congo accused Rwanda of ignoring calls for a ceasefire.

LIVE: M23 Captures South Kivu’s Capital Bukavu as DR Congo Soldiers Flee | Firstpost Africa Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have captured the second-biggest city in DR Congo’s mineral-rich East. They have captured Bukavu,

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 capture of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, would represent an unprecedented expansion of territory under the M23's control since the latest insurgency started in 2022 and deal a further blow to Kinshasa's authority in the east.

As the Security Council prepared to gather on Wednesday to debate the international community's response to the growing emergency in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN's top aid official there urged all warring parties to allow lifesaving relief supplies to reach the most vulnerable.

After the M23 Rwanda-backed rebels Feb. 16 occupied Bukavu, a second major city in mineral-rich eastern Congo, Catholic bishops and experts are warning this offensive in the provinces of North and South Kivu signals a clear intent to establish a permanent foreign country presence in the region.

M23 rebels pledge to restore security in Bukavu as an escalation in fighting fans fears of an all-out regional war.

M23 rebels have captured Bukavu in the DRC, following Goma's fall, with locals surprisingly welcoming them. The DRC faces systemic corruption, military failures, and human rights abuses, while M23 claims to protect the Tutsi community.

The humanitarian emergency in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has deteriorated sharply with serious human rights violations and abuses, including reported summary executions of children and generalised sexual violence.

and Justin Makangara from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday entered the vital trading hub of Bukavu in the east of the country ...