Rwandan-backed M23 rebels are bringing chaos to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as they continue to seize strategic cities and tighten their grip on a region staggering toward the brink of war.
The group captured Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, in late January, announcing a new offensive with overwhelming force.
After seizing the airport just outside Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, on February 14, the rebels entered the city center two days later.
“It was around 6 a.m., and they entered triumphantly, without encountering any resistance,” a resident told Le Monde on condition of anonymity. “Some people had posted themselves on the roadside to cheer them on, but we have no choice but to put on a brave face. Here, there’s fear and uncertainty.”
According to Ciaran Wrons-Passmann, managing director of the Ecumenical Network Central Africa in Berlin, the capture of Bukavu airport was significant.
“This would cut off the entire east from the rest of the Democratic Republic of Congo and make it more difficult to supply the Congolese army with military equipment and troops,” he told Deutsche Welle.
The Congolese military (FARDC) mostly had deserted Bukavu one day earlier on February 13, heading further south to regroup with their Wazalendo militia allies in Uvira.
The second-largest city in South Kivu, Uvira sits on Lake Tanganyika, a short drive from Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. The withdrawal of nearby Burundian Soldiers a few days after the fall of Bukavu helped facilitate the rebels’ advance toward Uvira, according to Agenzia Fides news agency.
Tensions are rising in Burundi, where Congolese refugees have poured across the border daily, some crossing the Rusizi River on makeshift boats. More than 9,000 arrived on February 19 alone, and more than 40,000 Congolese, mostly women and children, have sought refuge in Burundi since February began, according to the United Nations.
With thousands of its troops in eastern DRC, Rwanda has faced increasing pressure from across the continent and the international community. The African Union, the East African Community, the Southern African Development Community and the U.N. all have condemned the invasion and called for a ceasefire.
As the humanitarian situation worsens, Burundian troops in South Kivu are bracing for a fight.
“Since [February 23], we have observed movements of heavily armed Burundian Soldiers heading toward Luvungi,” some by road from Uvira, others “crossing the Rusizi River,” a resident of Sange, located halfway between Uvira and Luvungi, told Agence France-Presse.
Burundi already has a significant role in the conflict. According to Wrons-Passmann, the country not only has obvious security interests but also is in economic crisis and lacks foreign currency.
“It is, therefore, convenient that Congo is paying well for the deployment of Burundian troops,” he said.
In January 2024, Burundi closed its borders with Rwanda and broke off diplomatic relations, accusing its neighbor of supporting rebels in eastern DRC who were agitating against Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye. He accused Rwandan President Paul Kagame of warmongering.
“If Rwanda continues to conquer the territory of another country, I know for a fact that it will even reach Burundi,” Ndayishimiye said in January at a diplomatic meeting in Bujumbura, warning that the war would take on “a regional dimension.”
More than 10,000 Burundian Soldiers have deployed to fight alongside FARDC troops since October 2023. But despite Burundi reinforcing its presence since the conflict escalated at the end of January 2025, the southward advance of M23 fighters is now changing that calculus.
“The army has accelerated the extraction of our Soldiers deployed on the Rusizi plain in the DRC,” a Burundian senior army officer told AFP on February 20, speaking on condition of anonymity. He said the soldiers in the DRC were now facing serious resupply issues, blaming disorganized Congolese forces.
Burundian Soldiers were “at a total loss,” he added. “They have no more ammunition, no more food and have to make do.”
