Rwanda-backed M23 Rebels Enter Second Congo City as Uganda Military Chief Threatens to Attack

Rwanda-backed rebels in eastern Congo on Friday entered the region’s second-largest city of Bukavu, local and civil society leaders said, the latest ground gained since a major escalation of their yearslong fighting with government forces.The M23 rebels entered the city’s Kazingu and Bagira zone and were advancing towards the centre of the city of about 1.3 million people, according to Jean Samy, vice-president of the civil society in South Kivu. He reported gunfire in parts of the city.Videos posted online appeared to show rebels marching toward the Bagira area. In one of the videos, a voice in the background shouted: They are there … there are many of them.” Rwanda-backed rebels in eastern Congo claimed Friday to have seized a second airport in the region following a days-long advance, as the UN warned that the recent escalation of fighting with government forces has left 350,000 internally displaced people without shelter. n18oc_world n18oc_crux