M23 fighters seize key DRC airport earlier than African Union summit
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi traveled to Germany to attend Munich Safety Convention in efforts to rally worldwide help
The Rwanda-backed M23 fighters declare to have taken management of Kavumu airport serving Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province within the jap Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The airport, primarily used for NGO and army flights and the place DRC troops had been stationed, was the final important army barrier for the insurgent forces earlier than reaching town of a couple of million folks – the second largest within the area – which is 30km (19 miles) away.
The rebels reportedly confronted minimal resistance as they superior by means of the city, with the AFP information company reporting that Congolese army personnel vacated the airport and retreated to Bukavu.
The Reuters information company reported that the insurgent fighters additionally took management of Katana, a city roughly 11km (7 miles) from the airport.
The motion comes earlier than the African Union summit that begins in Ethiopia on Saturday.
The battle in DRC can be a key subject of dialogue on the annual two-day assembly. Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi had been anticipated to attend the summit however the nation’s prime minister is now slated to interchange him.
Tshisekedi attended the Munich Safety Convention in Germany, in efforts to obtain extra worldwide help, in line with an announcement from the presidency on social media on Friday.
Earlier this month, the AFC/M23 insurgent coalition introduced it might implement a unilateral ceasefire however resumed preventing after a two-day lull.
The outgoing chair of the African Union, Moussa Faki Mahamat, advised AFP {that a} ceasefire in jap DRC “should be noticed”, including that “army campaigns are usually not going to resolve these issues.”
In late January, M23 fighters launched a speedy offensive and seized Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu. Since then, troops have been pushing southward in the direction of Bukavu, seen as a strategic stronghold. The rebels have sought to maneuver south following their seize of Goma, the most important metropolis in jap DRC.
The UN Refugee Company says the state of affairs is “quickly deteriorating”, noting that the continuing battle has displaced about 350,000 folks.
Following Goma’s fall, protests erupted within the capital Kinshasa, the place demonstrators attacked a UN compound and several other embassies, together with these of Rwanda, France, Kenya and america, in response to what they perceived as overseas interference.
