M23 advances again in eastern Congo as Bukavu fears mount

# M23 advances again in eastern Congo as Bukavu fears mount

Event date: 2025-02-11

M23 rebels have resumed attacks in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after a two-day pause, renewing pressure on South Kivu province and raising fresh alarm in and around Bukavu.

Al Jazeera reported that fighters struck at dawn near Ihusi, a village about 70 kilometres from Bukavu and roughly 40 kilometres from Kavumu, a strategic military airport. The renewed fighting came despite calls from regional leaders for an immediate ceasefire and after M23 had already advanced through North Kivu, including the capture of Goma, in violence that killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands.

The latest fighting matters because Bukavu is South Kivu’s capital and a key urban center in the east. According to the report, residents had already started preparing for an offensive before the attack resumed: schools shut down, shops closed and families began leaving the city over fears that the rebels would continue south. That flight has added to the strain on a region already overwhelmed by displacement.

The scale of displacement is severe. The UN says conflict in the country has forced 6.7 million people from their homes, with the sharpest increases in North and South Kivu since the M23 resurgence in 2021. More than 500,000 people have been displaced since the beginning of this year alone, leaving camps overcrowded and under-resourced.

The report also describes a broader regional and humanitarian context. 24 East and Southern African leaders called for an “immediate and unconditional” ceasefire within five days, warning that the conflict could spill across borders. At the same time, a senior UN official said a U.S. pause in aid had worsened conditions, because American funding had supported a large share of humanitarian operations and closures had followed in emergency health and shelter programs.

M23 says it is defending ethnic Tutsis, but its offensive has drawn accusations from Kinshasa and regional alarm over Rwanda’s role. DRC has accused Rwanda and the rebels of looting resources, while Rwanda denies the allegations. The article also notes that the UN estimated earlier in the month that clashes around Goma had left nearly 3,000 dead.

The result is a conflict that is no longer confined to a front line. It is reshaping the daily life of eastern Congo, forcing people to flee, pushing schools and shops to close and leaving Bukavu residents waiting to learn whether the next advance will reach the city itself.