BUKAVU: Chaotic scenes unfolded in the eastern Congo city of Bukavu on Saturday after Rwanda-backed M23 rebels reached its outskirts, while a threat by Uganda’s army chief to attack a Congolese town raised fears of the conflict flaring into a wider regional war.

The rebels have been pushing south towards Bukavu, the second-largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, since they seized Goma, the largest city, at the end of last month. On Saturday, the World Food Programme’s depot in Bukavu, which housed 6,800 metric tons of food, was being looted, a spokesperson said.

The stolen supplies would deepen the difficulties faced by those in need, Claude Kalinga said, with the agency’s activities already suspended for weeks due to the deteriorating security situation. Sporadic gunfire was heard overnight and into Saturday morning, according to multiple Bukavu residents, who said the shots were fired by looters. Corneille Nangaa, leader of a rebel alliance that includes the M23, said on Friday evening that the rebels had entered Bukavu and would continue their operation in the city on Saturday.

Two residents of the northern Bukavu suburb of Bagira said they had seen rebels on the streets and no sign of fighting. An M23 source, two Congolese army officers and multiple Bukavu residents, however, said on Saturday that the rebels had not yet entered the city centre.

Uganda’s defence chief

General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the chief of Ugandan defence forces, has threatened to attack eastern Congo town of Bunia. He said he had the authority of President Yoweri Museveni, who is also his father, to carry out the attack unless “all forces” there surrender their arms within 24 hours. Earlier on Saturday, Kainerugaba had said, without providing evidence, that people from the Bahima ethnic group were being killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2025