PRETORIA, February 1. /TASS/. Rebels from the March 23 (M23) Movement and Rwandan army units that support them are only 60 kilometers away from the city of Bukavu, the capital of the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which raises concerns about the conflict expanding further, Agence France Presse reported, citing United Nations Under Secretary General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
According to him, the M23 forces and the Rwandan army are advancing at a high pace. Lacroix said the UN was concerned not only about the situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo but also about the possibility of a broader regional conflict. This is why it’s crucial to make every diplomatic effort to prevent such a scenario and stop military activities, he stressed.
The rebels started advancing towards Bukavu two days ago, after their units pulled out of the city of Minova in the province of South Kivu that they had seized before.
Bukavu, a city with a population of over one million, is located on the southern coast of Lake Kivu. The lake’s eastern shores are part of Rwanda. Earlier, units of the M23 Movement seized Goma, the capital of the Congolese province of North Kivu.