Residents of Bukavu, Congo’s second-largest city in the east, on Monday viewed the damage caused by widespread looting following the entry of Rwandan-backed M23 rebels. The rebels, a Tutsi-led militia, moved into the heart of Bukavu on Sunday, their deepest penetration since they captured the larger city of Goma in late January.
The capture of Bukavu, a key commercial hub, and nearby Kavumu airport by the rebel movement is another blow to the Congo government. It also stokes a long-standing feud that could ignite a regional war. The government has not proven that Bukavu was in the full grip of M23, but Congolese and Burundian allied troops withdrew from the city to prevent battles in populated areas, leaving a power vacuum which created looting and a breaking of prisoners.
On local radio, in a statement, the M23 coalition declared that they were restoring order in Bukavu. “Our soldiers are taking care of the people and their property to the satisfaction of the whole population,” declared a spokesman.
But for individuals such as Pascal Zulu, whose shop was looted, the consequences have been awful. “They took all my stuff. I am very angry. I don’t know how I am going to repay the loan that I borrowed,” Zulu said.
M23, one of several ethnic Tutsi-led rebel groups in Congo’s war-torn eastern border, now controls more territory than any other group since the Congo Wars ended in 1996–2003. The rebels have also taken control of some of the region’s lucrative mineral deposits, including cobalt, tin, and gold. Congo is one of the world’s largest producers of these minerals, which are crucial to global tech industries.
Rwanda denied claims of funding M23 and deploying soldiers to Congo, invoking its defense of Hutu militias as the excuse.
