Rwanda-backed rebels advance into eastern Congo’s second major city of Bukavu, residents say

GOMA, Congo (AP) - Residents and business owners in eastern Congo’s second largest city sat in wait on Saturday 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 63 miles (101 kilometers) 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.

The rebellion has killed at least 2,000 people in and around Goma and left hundreds of thousands of displaced stranded, the U.N. and Congolese authorities have said.

The rebels on Friday also claimed to have seized a second airport in the region, in the town of Kavumu outside Bukavu. The U.N. warned that the recent escalation of fighting with government forces has left 350,000 internally displaced people without shelter.

The Associated Press could not immediately confirm who was in control of the strategically important airport, which Congolese forces have used to resupply troops and humanitarian groups used to import aid.

Government officials and local civil society leaders did not immediately comment, though Congo’s Communications Ministry said the rebels had violated ceasefire agreements and attacked Congolese troops working to avoid urban warfare and violence in Bukavu.

M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said on X that the rebels took over Kavumu airport and its surroundings to "eliminate the threat at the source."

"The airport posed a danger to the civilian population," he said.

A local civil society leader in Kavumu reported seeing soldiers "abandon their positions and head towards Bukavu" - a repeat of events that transpired last month in the lead-up to the M23’s capture of Goma. Congo's military, despite its size and funding, has long been hindered by shortcomings in training and coordination and recurring reports of corruption.

International leaders are expected to discuss the conflict at the African Union summit in Ethiopia this weekend as Congo's President Félix Tshisekedi continues to plead the international community to intervene to contain the rebels from advancing. However, little progress has been made since the government dismissed a ceasefire that M23 declared last wee unilaterally as false.

Meanwhile, in South Kivu province, residents fled Bukavu into neighboring towns and stocked up on household supplies in anticipation of further bloodshed in the streets. The U.N. refugee agency has said that shelling and looting have already destroyed 70,000 emergency shelters, leaving those displaced with few places to go.

"I noticed that the soldiers were dropping out and fleeing, so I told myself that I could no longer stay in this place," said Chirimwami Alexis, among residents fleeing from Kavumu. "The fear we have is people moving without any preparation or food. We are running away just because of this situation."

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Associated Press Sam Metz in Rabat, Morocco, contributed to this report.