By 6AM on Sunday morning, the heavily armed M23 fighters battressed into Bukavu town crashing resistance from DRC-Burundi allied troops
By noon, Bukavu residents had begun coming out of their houses. Some tried to go to places of worship as M23/AFC fighters, backpacks on their backs and weapons slung over their shoulders, walked through the streets and advanced towards the city center.
The rebel alliance leaders held spontaneous meetings in front of the Bukavu Governor’s office. The rebels were also seen in columns at Independence Square, one of Bukavu city’s strategic locations.
However, some parts of Bukavu remain without electricity amidist looting again in several neighborhoods.
President Félix Tshisekedi is reportedly overwhelmed by the advances of the rebels in Bukavu which prompted him to convene a security meeting at the African Union City on Saturday.
According to the Kinshasa presidency, discussions focused on the evolution of military operations in the provinces of North and South Kivu, as well as the worsening humanitarian crisis in the east of the country.
Senior military officials, heads of civilian and military intelligence services, and the ministers of defense and the interior were present.