M23 is urged by the Bukavu business sector to swiftly protect the city and stop criminal activity

The business community in Bukavu calls on M23 to swiftly safeguard the city and put an end to illegal activity.

A businessman who escaped the chaos that broke out when the government army coalition began to flee on Friday, February 14, told The New Times that the AFC/M23 rebels should move in quickly, fully capture, and secure the entire city of Bukavu, the capital of DR Congo’s South Kivu Province, in order to stop the ongoing looting and vandalism committed by criminals and militiamen.

The businessman and his coworker are among many inhabitants of Bukavu who made the decision on Friday to temporarily move to Rusizi, a city in neighboring Rwanda, while they wait for things to return to normal. On Friday, the AFC/M23 rebels took control of Kavumu airport, which is around 25 kilometers away from Bukavu. This gave residents of Bukavu hope that “the city would also soon be in safe hands.”

Videos of columns of rebel forces approaching Bukavu’s suburbs and Congolese and Burundian troops fleeing in the opposite way were shared on social media hours after Kavumu was captured. The merchant claimed that although “we know the M23 rebels are so close” to the city, many are now concerned that conditions back home are getting worse.

“They [M23] truly assist us.” They should rapidly take control of the entire city. Yesterday [Friday] evening, we were really hoping that they would do it. To our astonishment, however, they have yet to do so. The merchant, who wished to remain anonymous, told The New Times on Saturday, February 15, “We are concerned because the more they delay, the more people suffer and our property is looted and damaged.”

“FDLR and Zazalendo took over.”

“The city is now experiencing a significant security void. Criminals, including street children, and militia groups like Wazalendo and FDLR gained control yesterday when the majority of the Congolese government troops and its allies departed. They are already robbing and destroying property. Really, all we want is for the rebels to intervene and save us. We might today experience peace and stability, just as they did when they seized Goma, if they had fully invaded and taken control.

Remaining members of the masterminds of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi established the FDLR, a terrorist group located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“The looting began last night, carried on this morning, and is still going on today. There is currently a void, which will also cause needless civilian fatalities. M23 will swiftly assume control to put an end to the mayhem.

“To ensure security, establish local vigilance committees.”

In a statement released on Saturday, the rebels called on the residents of Bukavu to establish local vigilance committees in order to ensure security and to designate trustworthy and accountable persons to serve as their leaders.

“We call on the population to remain in control of their city and not give in to panic,” the AFC/M23 statement continues. In the event that the unruly FARDC soldiers and their supporters try to return and carry out more crimes, the AFC/M23 confirms its commitment to protecting the people of Bukavu.

However, this is insufficiently comforting to the Bukavu businesses.

They fear that “even though good, the idea of the local population forming local vigilance committees to maintain security” has a flaw since the city’s militias, including Wazalendo and FDLR, would begin carrying out targeted retaliatory assaults and murdering individuals.

These militias are aware of the populace, and they would target anyone serving on the local vigilance committees. This is not how we would be protected. We need M23 to save the day.

In 2021, a coalition of the Congolese government army, comprising the FDLR, more than 10,000 Burundian soldiers, 1,600 European mercenaries, and South Africa-led SADC forces, began fighting the M23 rebels. Nearly 300 European mercenaries who had escaped the rebels’ onslaught on Goma last month turned themselves in and were granted safe passage back to their home countries via Rwanda.

M23 is a part of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), a broader rebel group that was established in December 2023.

According to the AFC, its struggle is for government that upholds fundamental human rights, protects all citizens, and tackles the underlying causes of conflict. Among other evils that are pervasive in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, its authorities have pledged to eradicate corruption, nepotism, tribalism, and the philosophy of genocide.

On Saturday morning, the customary commotion at Rusizi 1 Border Post was replaced with a calm sight, with Rwandan immigration agents processing a few travelers on the Rwandan side while there was no comparable activity on the DR Congo side.

The first group of Congolese departing Rusizi was given the all-clear to travel to Bukavu at 6 a.m., around an hour after the border crossing reopened for regular business. There were less than ten individuals in the morning, six from Rusizi heading for Bukavu and three heading the other way, despite the fact that the border, which is open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., usually sees over 100 people assembling at either end at opening time.

One of the group heading home early in the morning was Leon Lubula, a student of economics at Université Catholique de Bukavu. Lubula, a frequent transnational dealer, told The New Times, “I’m not really worried.” I’m heading home, and I’ll go back to Rwanda if I see any danger. I think M23 is providing us peace, therefore I’m not too worried about them.

The DR Congo side was vacant and idle while the Rwandan side’s immigration officials were occupied processing travelers.