M23 rebels have announced the takeover of South Kivu city of Bukavu in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC and now in control of another major airport in the Kivu region, the Kavumu Airport after the secessionist armed fighters sacked Congolese soldiers and foreign mercenaries on Friday.

Local observers said that Kavumu, a strategic location in South Kivu, hosts an airport that was used by the DRC’s coalition forces to launch attacks on M23 positions.

A video of M23 Rebels mocking Congolese and its foreign coalition forces after capturing Bukavu was published online on Friday.

The rebels had said that their intention is to advance to Kinshasa, the capital city of Congo which is more than 1,500 kilometres from Bukavu to change the government of President Felix Tshisekedi.

Local media reported that the neighbouring community of Morobo in Central Equatorial State of South Sudan has raised alarm of the likely effect of the crisis on the community, calling on its government to beef up security at the border town.

“There is a crisis in the DRC, and we are very much afraid that it may affect some parts of Central Equatoria, and the activities of the M23 have displaced some people from Congo to parts of Central Equatoria in Morobo and if these activities continue, our border is very vulnerable.

One of the resolutions is to request the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs to deploy forces along the border line, to secure the border from encroachment,” Paulino Lukudu Obede, Deputy Governor of Central Equatoria State stated according to local media.

Video showed Congolese and its coalition foreign soldiers fled and abandoned their weapons when Bukavu fell under the M23 rebels, with the abandoned military equipment seen at the entrance of Bukavu Airport, which included battlefield tanks.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s President, Felix Tshisekedi will not attend an African Union summit this weekend in Addis Ababa, the government spokesperson, Tina Salama said.

The AU summit is focused on ending DRC’s conflict with M23 rebels in the east. Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka is expected to represent the African nation at the event, Salama said on Friday.

Fighting resumed in DR Congo a few days ago according to local media after the M23 announced ceasefire but Congolese troops started pursuing M23 forces near the town of Ihusi in South Kivu province, as the anti-government group continues its advance after seizing Goma last month.

We had reported that the United Nations, UN says dozens of inmates with more than 150 female prisoners alongside their babies were burnt alive on January 27, 2025 when some detainees at Munzenze prison in Goma set fire on the facility to escape after M23 advanced to takeover the city, forcing prison guards to flee and shot dead many inmates.

It would be recalled we had reported that; in a bitter reaction to the statement credited to South Africa President, Cyril Ramaphosa over the killing of 13 SA soldiers in Goma by M23 rebels, Rwanda President, Paul Kagame has talked tough over President Ramaphosa description of Rwanda Defence Force, RDF as a militia group working with M23 and the SA President’s threat: reshared and commented on President Cyril Ramaphosa X social media post published: accused South Africa of being a party in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo who always launch offensive operations against M23 rebels, only trying to manipulate the public by thus falsely claiming to be a peacekeeper in a war the SA has joined hands to escalate, this, as hundreds of Romania mercenaries contracted to fight against M23 rebels ceded or surrendered to M23 rebels in the present of the rebels spokesperson, Willy Ngoma in Goma who was seen in videos warning and cautioning the Romanians never to come to Congo to fight against them before the Romanians were transported to Rwanda for further assistance to their country.

We had reported that over 1,200 men of the Armed Forces of Democratic Republic of Congo have ceded or surrendered Goma, the country’s largest city to M23 rebels with DRC military uniforms flooding the streets after they pulled off the army attires and took refuge at UN Peacekeeping military base leaving South Africa soldiers to continue to fight on, but South Africa military formation in Congo in a statement denying that its men did not surrender to M23 rebels, insisting that the White flag hoisted by one of his soldiers during heavy gun battle with the rebels was normal military tradition for both sides to ceasefire to enable the South Africa troops passage to receive medical supply and as well give room to the M23 rebels the opportunity to rescue their men injured in front of the South Africa military base near Goma Airport, this, as thousands of pro government protesters attacked and burnt some portions of US, French, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and other foreign embassies in Kinshasa.

We previously had reported that thousands of prisoners at Munzenze Prison facility in Goma, the capital city of North Kivu Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo may have set themselves free after M23 rebels took control of Goma early morning hours with videos posted online showing civilians flooding back to Goma and welcoming the M23 rebels in a rousing manner.

Earlier same day, we also reported that one of the most troubled countries in Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo government  begged civilian residents in the country to flood streets on Monday, 27 January 2025 just as M23 rebels are now in control of Goma, after killing the Congolese military commander, over nine South Africa soldiers, a total of 12 UN Peacekeepers, forcing other Congolese soldiers to surrender their weapons before the 3:00am Monday 27, 2025 deadline set.

We had earlier in January 2025 reported that M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo early this year advanced and seized the town of Masisi, same period the Congolese government sent 172 death row prisoners to executioners with 102 already confirmed executed while the government kept mum on the third batch of 70 prisoners including the May 19, 2024 37 coup plotters who were convicted and sentenced to death in September, 2024 just as the country Minister of Justice, Constant Mutamba threatened journalists with death penalty if they relayed the activities of armed group he described as Rwanda army and its M23 auxiliaries.