Africa-Press – Rwanda. The AFC/M23 rebels have warned that they could advance toward Bukavu, the capital of DR Congo’s South Kivu Province, saying continued attacks against civilians by the Congolese army (FARDC) and its allies may force them to intervene.
The security situation in South Kivu has deteriorated amid reports of violence, looting, and abuses propagated by the Congolese army coalition including the Wazalendo militia.
In a February 10 statement, AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said the group had received distress calls from residents of Bukavu, indicating that the Congolese army (FARDC) and allied militias were committing widespread killings and looting. The rebels warned that the crimes committed in Bukavu “by the coalition forces of the Kinshasa regime must stop immediately; otherwise, we will have no choice but to intervene to protect the Congolese population.”
“The AFC/M23 has heard the desperate cries of the civilian population in Bukavu. The FARDC and its allied forces continue to commit unspeakable atrocities against civilians, including assassinations and widespread looting,” Kanyuka noted, adding “These crimes must stop immediately; otherwise, we will have no choice but to intervene to protect the Congolese population.”
‘Situation in Bukavu deteriorating dangerously’
On Tuesday morning, he reiterated the warning: “The situation in Bukavu is deteriorating dangerously. Our compatriots are continually being killed and robbed. If these crimes persist, we will take full responsibility to eradicate the threat at its source and protect our people.”
Si ces crimes persistent, nous prendrons toutes nos responsabilités pour éradiquer la menace à sa source et protéger notre peuple.
The rebels also accuse the Congolese government of spreading misinformation, particularly regarding the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to areas they control. Contrary to what Kinshasa and some UN agencies and media continue to report, the situation in rebel-controlled areas is calm as people try to carry on with their normal lives.
On January 27, the rebels captured Goma, the capital of eastern DR Congo’s North Kivu Province, after a 48-hour deadline they imposed for the Congolese army and its coalition to surrender expired.
In Goma, water and electricity were restored. Schools and businesses have reopened.
“Contrary to the propaganda of the Kinshasa regime, amplified by certain biased media outlets, internally displaced persons are voluntarily returning to their now-secured homes in liberated areas. The AFC/M23 fully supports and encourages this process but does not compel anyone to return without firm security guarantees,” Kanyuka said.
They also rejected allegations linking AFC/M23 to atrocities at Munzenze Central Prison, where reports of massacres, rape, and arson have surfaced, as an attempt to shift blame. Additionally, the rebels called on MONUSCO, the UN peacekeeping mission in DR Congo, to stop “false allegations” that distort facts and inflame tensions.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that the rebels forces have positioned themselves just eight kilometres from Kavumu Airport, a key military and logistical hub.
This comes just three days after an East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) joint summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, resolved to implement an immediate ceasefire and direct talks between Kinshasa and AFC/M23 to address the root causes of the conflict.
Peaceful resolution of the conflict in eastern DR Congo through the Luanda and Nairobi peace processes, are among the key resolutions of the joint EAC-SADC leaders meeting held in Dar es Salaam, on February 8.
Another key element is the leaders’ call for the implementation of an earlier approved harmonised plan for the neutralisation of FDLR, a DR Congo-based terrorist militia founded by remnants of the masterminds of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
The genocidal militia poses an existential threat to Rwanda, the entire region, and especially the Congolese Tutsi communities it has been persecuting in eastern DR Congo, resulting in the ongoing crisis in the region.
The escalating war between a Congolese government army coalition that includes FDLR, over 10,000 Burundian troops, 1,600 thousands of Congolese militia elements grouped in what is called Wazalendo, and South Africa-led SADC forces, against M23 rebels started in 2021.
M23, a rebel movement fighting for the rights of a persecuted Congolese community in the country North Kivu Province, is now a member of a larger rebel coalition, Alliance fleuve Congo (AFC), created in December 2023, that is fighting for governance that supports basic human rights, secures all Congolese citizens, and addresses the root causes of conflict. Its leaders have vowed to uproot tribalism, nepotism, corruption, and genocide ideology, among other vices, widespread in DR Congo.
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