As the M23 rebel group continues its advance in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, chaotic scenes have been taking place in Bukavu.
Residents took refuge in their houses on Saturday after reports of intermittent gunfire and rampant theft in the city, including at a World Food Programme depot, surfaced.
Following advances in the area, there have been conflicting reports regarding whether the Rwanda-backed rebels had reached the crucial city of Bukavu. Kavumu airport, located north of Bukavu, was taken over by M23 rebels on Friday.
Concern over the escalating crisis has been expressed by the European Union and the United Nations.
There are concerns that the conflict could turn into a larger regional war after Uganda’s army head threatened to strike a town in Congo.
According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, there is “no military solution” and a regional escalation must be prevented “at all costs” during a summit of the African Union on Saturday.
“And the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC must be respected,” Guterres went on.
In response to the news from Bukavu, the European Union declared that it was “urgently” examining all of its options.
“The ongoing violation of the DRC’s territorial integrity will not go unanswered,” it stated.
Rwanda has refuted the Congolese government’s accusation that it is causing disorder in the area to profit from its natural wealth.
In recent weeks, the rebel advance has displaced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.
Residents of Bukavu hid in their houses on Saturday, leaving the streets empty.
As gunfire erupted and young people looted and trashed stores, a woman in the city told the BBC that many were avoiding going outside.
“I can only eat for three days at this point. I find it hard to walk outside as a woman because I might be raped [by the armed groups or the looters]. We believe that the government have abandoned us.
The World Food Programme’s Bukavu warehouse, which had 6,800 metric tons of food, was among the looted items, a UN assistance agency spokesperson told the Reuters news agency.
According to Claude Kalinga, stealing commodities would make things more difficult for people who are less fortunate. Because of the worsening security situation, the agency had already halted operations for weeks.
The extent to which M23 forces have reportedly infiltrated Bukavu, as the group says, has been the subject of conflicting reports.
Bagira, a suburb of Bukavu in the north, has two locals who reported seeing rebels on the streets but no combat.
Two Congolese army commanders, several Bukavu residents, and an M23 source told Reuters on Saturday that the rebels had not yet made their way into the city center.
The M23 would have gained unprecedented territory since the most recent insurgency began in 2022 if it were to seize Bukavu, a city with an estimated urban population of over a million.
Located on the southernmost part of Lake Kivu, Bukavu borders Rwanda and serves as a major transit hub for the regional mining trade.
In a post on X on Saturday, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the head of Uganda’s defense forces, threatened to assault the town of Bunia, which is located in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, unless “all forces” there submitted.