Rwanda-backed rebels advance in eastern Congo as residents flee by the thousands

Residents and business owners in eastern Congo's second-largest city sat in wait on Saturday (February 15, 2025) morning after a night of loud gunfire marking the ongoing advance of Rwanda-backed rebels.

Families remained indoors and shops remained closed as M23 fighters entered the outskirts of Bukavu — a city of about 1.3 million people that lies 101 km south of Goma, the region's largest city taken by the rebels last month.

The group, backed by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, is the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups vying for control of Congo’s mineral-rich east. Its southward expansion encompasses more territory than rebels had previously seized and poses an unprecedented challenge to the central government's authority.