As the Congolese army withdraws from Bukavu, allied militias brawl

As troops retreat in the face of an offensive by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, government forces and local militias have engaged in combat south of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo’s province seat of Bukavu, according to townspeople and military sources.

The military and their militia allies were supposed to retreat from Bukavu, a center of the mining and trading industries, in order to avoid clashes with the rebels in the city and to dig in somewhere else to slow the swift attack.

The militias desired to take a stance.

“The plan was falling apart into chaos by the time the rebels began to move into Bukavu over the weekend,” a Congolese general, a senior officer, a community leader, and a number of locals told Reuters.

The military sent to protect Bukavu and its 1.3 million inhabitants, who had already lost Congo’s major eastern city of Goma, close to the Rwandan border, hurriedly packed up and fled.

Most of the time, direct confrontations with the M23 were avoided, but communities south of Bukavu were caught in the midst of gunfights as pro-government militia fighters, known as the Wazalendo, attempted to disarm or stop fleeing or deserting Congolese soldiers.

“Just this morning there was the crackle of gunfire from Kamanyola to Uvira,” a village leader said on Monday, referring to communities south of Bukavu on the N5 road that have turned into flashpoints far from the M23 front line.

“All the villages on road N5 are emptying,” remarked the man.

The chaotic withdrawal and the ease with which the M23 rebels have taken control of the two largest cities in eastern Congo have fueled worries of the country’s disintegration, a regional conflict that would spread to Uganda, and open discussions in Kinshasa about a potential coup against Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi.

In Kamanyola, one of several towns where locals have reported skirmishes in recent days between Congolese military and their former partners, a civil society source described the situation as “complete chaos.”

Requests for response from the Congolese army were not immediately answered.

Rights and Assets

Under the leadership of ethnic Tutsis and supported by Rwanda, the rebels claim to be defending their rights.

The region’s rich mineral riches, including cobalt and tantalum, which are essential parts of mobile phones, electric cars, and other technology utilized worldwide, are also being contested by several militias.

Additionally, Congo is China’s largest copper supplier.

On Sunday, there were indications of mounting anxiety in the city as news of the chaotic Bukavu retreat surfaced.

The Congolese people chose Tshisekedi to serve a five-year term in office. “Any coup will not be tolerated,” Justice Minister Constant Mutamba declared on X.

The chaos in South Kivu will further heighten criticism of the choice to enlist the Wazalendo, or Patriots, a loose coalition of militias that are sometimes ill-trained and unruly.

One resident of the N5 village of Sange shared a video with Reuters that seemed to show Wazalendo rebels distributing firearms to onlookers from the back of a vehicle they had taken from the Congolese army, along with its armaments.

The clip was not readily verifiable by Reuters. Such an event occurred, according to two civil society representatives and a security source.

“The Wazalendo just never stops making mistakes. “The president rearmed all the armed groups in the belief that these people would support their cause,” an army commander stated under anonymity.

A Wazalendo official could not be reached for comment.

“WE FLEE AGAIN”

According to Congolese scholar Josaphat Musamba, who is from South Kivu, the uncontested departure from Bukavu has infuriated many Wazalendo.

“They’re going to fight…How the Congolese army can desert them is beyond their comprehension.

According to three Congolese military sources, the decision to withdraw was taken in order to prevent the violence that followed the surrender of Goma, the biggest city in eastern Congo, in late January, which the UN estimates resulted in the deaths of over 3,000 people.

The decision to withdraw was also impacted by the M23’s capture of Kavumu airport, which is located north of Bukavu, and the air assistance it offered, the general added.

Meanwhile, a senior officer operating in the combat zone, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that men were demoralized by consecutive battlefield losses.

“The soldiers had given up on fighting. He answered, “They were running away and stealing.”

The Congolese army’s battle against the M23 has been consistently hampered by low morale and a lack of discipline since the insurgency began in 2022, resuming a struggle that began with the genocide in neighboring Rwanda in the 1990s.

“At the Bukavu stage, we flee again,” remarked one frustrated soldier in a video of many soldiers scrambling onto a truck loaded with supplies.

“This is how we are treated under the regime of Tshisekedi.”

In the eastern regions, the insurgency has made the already serious humanitarian situation worse. The U.N. refugee agency reports that around 350,000 displaced persons are without a roof over their heads as a result of recent violence that damaged essential shelters.

Rwanda disputes claims that it provides M23 with troops and weapons, as made by the UN, Congo, and Western nations. According to the statement, it is protecting itself from a Hutu militia that is battling the Congolese troops.

Rwanda has employed its proxy militias to plunder its minerals, according to Congo, which dismisses Rwanda’s grievances.