Rebels have “occupied” a second major city in mineral-rich eastern Congo, the government said Sunday, as M23 rebels positioned themselves at the governor’s office in Bukavu and pledged to clean up after the “old regime.”
Associated Press journalists witnessed scores of residents cheering on the rebels after they entered Bukavu following a dayslong march from Goma, a city of 2 million people they seized last month.
The rebels saw little resistance from government forces against the unprecedented expansion of their reach after their years of fighting. Congo’s government vowed to restore order in Bukavu, a city of 1.3 million people, but there was no sign of soldiers. Many were seen fleeing on Saturday alongside thousands of civilians.
The M23 are the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups vying for control of eastern Congo’s trillions of dollars in mineral wealth that’s critical for much of the world’s technology. The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to United Nations experts.
The fighting has displaced more than 6 million people in the region, creating the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
VOA (C)