Rwandan-backed rebels within the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) say they’ve seized a second airport within the area.
After a days-long advance, M23 rebels mentioned that they had seized Kavumu airport, which serves the South Kivu province and the area’s second greatest metropolis Bukavu.
In a press release on social media, a spokesperson for the group mentioned rebels have been answerable for the airport – a key strategic location for the Congolese military – and surrounding areas.
One in all greater than 100 armed teams energetic within the mineral-rich japanese areas of the nation, the M23 rebels have been pushing south since they seized Goma, the most important metropolis within the east of the DRC, in January.
M23, or the March 23 Motion, has beforehand expressed a want to march to DRC’s capital Kinshasa.
After declaring a ceasefire earlier in February, the insurgent group’s spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka mentioned: “It must be made clear that we have no intention of capturing Bukavu or other areas.”
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The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighbouring nations
The M23 rebels are backed by some 4,000 troops from Rwanda, based on UN specialists, way over in 2012 once they first briefly captured Goma then withdrew after worldwide strain.
Rwanda’s authorities has framed the battle because the defence of ethnic Tutsis in japanese DRC from ethnic Hutu forces linked to the genocide in Rwanda three many years in the past.
Round 800,000 Tutsis, reasonable Hutus and others have been killed within the genocide.
The UN’s refugee company additionally mentioned on Friday that the battle within the DRC has displaced round 350,000 individuals since January. Earlier this month, it mentioned virtually 3,000 individuals had been killed.
It comes as DRC President Felix Tshisekedi seeks worldwide assist to finish the battle, having flown to Germany to attend the Munich Safety Convention on Friday.
A authorities supply added he may even fly to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to attend the African Union summit on Saturday.
