Bukavu descends into looting as M23 rebels advance in eastern Congo

# Bukavu descends into looting as M23 rebels advance in eastern Congo

*Event date: 2025-02-15*

Bukavu, one of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's key cities, has been thrown into chaos by reports of sporadic gunfire, widespread looting and the advance of Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.

Residents told the BBC they were hiding in their homes as unrest spread through the city. The BBC report said looting was reported at several facilities, including a World Food Programme depot, while people on the streets described a city emptied by fear. One woman said she had only a few days of food left and feared leaving home because of the risk of assault or violence.

The conflict sharpened after M23 seized Kavumu airport north of Bukavu and continued pressing toward the city. Yet the situation on the ground remained murky, with conflicting reports over whether rebel fighters had entered Bukavu itself or had only reached surrounding areas. Reuters sources cited in the BBC report said M23 fighters had not yet entered the city centre, even as some residents reported seeing rebels in nearby neighbourhoods.

That ambiguity has not reduced the sense of danger. The United Nations and the European Union both voiced alarm over the worsening situation. UN Secretary-General António Guterres told an African Union summit that regional escalation must be avoided at all costs and that there is no military solution. The EU said it was urgently considering all options and warned that violations of Congo's territorial integrity would not go unanswered.

The BBC report also noted a wider regional risk. Uganda's army chief posted a threat to attack the town of Bunia unless armed groups there surrendered within 24 hours, raising fears the conflict could broaden. The warning came against the backdrop of longstanding tensions among Congo, Rwanda and neighbouring states, with Uganda's role in the east also under scrutiny.

The humanitarian strain is immediate. The World Food Programme's depot in Bukavu was reported looted, with 6,800 metric tons of food stored there. The loss of that stock could further weaken an already fragile response in an area that has seen repeated displacement.

Bukavu's importance is not just symbolic. It sits near Rwanda, on the southern tip of Lake Kivu, and serves as an important transit point for the local mineral trade. If the city were to fall more fully into rebel hands, it would mark an unprecedented expansion of M23 territory in the latest insurgency and deepen fears that eastern Congo is sliding into a broader regional war.

For now, the picture is one of fear, uncertainty and displacement. Residents are indoors, agencies are sounding alarms and the political actors around the conflict are signalling no easy exit. The immediate question is whether the advance will stop at Bukavu's edges or trigger another round of regional escalation.