# M23 and Rwandan troops seize Kavumu Airport as Congo’s eastern war widens
By IO Digest Desk
M23 rebels and Rwandan troops seized Kavumu Airport in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo on 2025-02-14, a development that removed one of the last major military obstacles between the insurgents and the South Kivu provincial capital of Bukavu.
The airport, which serves Bukavu, was described in the evidence packet as the final significant barrier in the area. Security and humanitarian sources said the rebel forces took control of the site and its surroundings, while M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said the group moved in to “eliminate the threat at the source” and argued that the airport had posed a danger to civilians.
The capture was part of a broader rapid advance by the rebel movement in Congo’s mineral-rich east. M23 is the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups competing for influence in the region, and the seizure of the airport marked another step in a campaign that had already put pressure on nearby towns and transport routes.
The advance also sharpened the political crisis around Rwanda’s role. Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, speaking at the Munich Security Conference, said Rwanda had “expansionist ambitions” in eastern Congo and called for Kigali to be blacklisted and subjected to international sanctions. The evidence packet says he planned to focus on stopping the rebel advance and would not attend the African Union summit, leaving Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka to represent Congo.
The timing of the airport seizure mattered. Heads of state were expected to meet in Addis Ababa for talks on the crisis, and the African Union summit was due to open over the weekend. Outgoing AU chair Moussa Faki Mahamat said the fighting had to stop completely and warned that military campaigns would not solve the conflict.
The rebel movement’s gains also reflected the limits of the Congolese military’s current position. In Goma, which M23 seized in late January, the group had already begun installing its own administration and police force, showing that its control was not simply temporary but increasingly institutional.
For civilians in the region, the airport’s fall had immediate implications. Bukavu depends on Kavumu as a key access point, and its loss further constrains the movement of people, supplies and humanitarian assistance. The evidence packet says the rebels met little resistance in the town, a sign that local defences were not able to hold the approach.
The dispute over the airport is also part of a wider international argument about whether Rwanda is backing the rebellion. Kigali denies supporting M23, but Congolese and security sources in the packet describe Rwandan troops taking part in the seizure. That claim has become central to the diplomatic pressure campaign now building around the fighting.
The airport capture did not by itself settle the battle for Bukavu. But it moved the front line closer to the city and underlined how quickly the conflict has spread across eastern Congo in recent weeks. With diplomatic meetings under way and the AU warning against further escalation, the military facts on the ground continued to move faster than the regional response.
