Congo's army and Burundian allies slow M23 rebel's southern march

Summary

• After seizing Goma, Rwandan-backed rebels move south
• Rebel advance risks clashes between Rwanda and Burundi
• Officials in Bukavu recruit civilians to protect city

Congolese troops with support from Burundi's army appeared on Friday to be holding back a push south by Rwandan-backed rebels seeking to expand their grip on eastern Congo in a weeks-old advance that has raised fears of a broader regional conflict.

Earlier this week the Tutsi-led M23 rebels seized Goma, the largest city in the east of Democratic Republic of Congo which is home to lucrative gold, coltan and tin ore mines. They then shifted their focus to Bukavu in neighbouring South Kivu province and made some progress toward that objective.

But since then, the Congolese army and its allies have succeeded in holding the rebels back, three sources including South Kivu Governor Jean-Jacques Purusi Sadiki told Reuters.

One person with direct knowledge of the fighting said a force of around 1,500 including Congolese troops, Burundian soldiers and local militia fighters had deployed to defend the town of Nyabibwe some 50 km (30 miles) north of Bukavu.

The source declined to be identified for security reasons.

Residents of Bukavu, which last fell to rebels in 2004, said people were stocking up on food, torches and batteries or fleeing towards the Burundi border.

Civilians recruited by authorities to defend the city were jogging around a sports field and lining up for military salutes on Friday.

"We have been suffering for a long time, suffering for so long because of the aggressors who are our neighbours," said math teacher Habamungu Mushagalusa, among a group of about 200 recruits.

"We are here to defend our homeland until death."

Kigali has rejected the findings of UN investigators that it has sent thousands of soldiers and equipment into Congo to support M23.

The UN said on Thursday that there were reports of Rwandan forces crossing into Congo in the direction of Bukavu. Rwanda did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Well trained and professionally armed, M23 is the latest in a long line of Rwandan-supported, Tutsi-led rebel movements to emerge in Congo's volatile eastern borderlands in the wake of two successive wars stemming from Rwanda's 1994 genocide.

FEAR OF REGIONAL CONFLICT

The escalation of east Congo's long-standing conflict has sparked an international backlash against Rwanda and a flurry of diplomatic activity.

"The risk of regionalisation of the conflict is real," one African diplomat said on Friday. "The Rwandan, Congolese and Burundian armies are already clashing on the ground in eastern Congo."

France will propose a draft resolution to the UN Security Council on Friday to pressure Rwanda to withdraw its troops, French UN Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere said.

During a summit on Friday, the 16-member Southern African Development Community expressed concern and called for a joint summit with its east African counterpart, the East Africa Community, over the matter.

The southern Africa bloc also discussed heavy losses suffered by a combined force of troops from the region that has been tasked with stopping east Congo's insurgents. The bloc called for defence ministers of contributing countries to go to Congo to ensure forces were safe and the injured repatriated.

The UN said on Friday that the conflict has led to a surge in human rights violations including the bombing of displaced people who are sheltering in camps, summary executions by M23 and reports of gang rape and other sexual violence by Congolese troops.

UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said overall calm, water and electricity had generally been restored to Goma though the city remained "tense and volatile".

The airport runway was not operating due to damage, and UN peacekeepers were sheltering a large number of civilians at their bases, he added.

BURUNDI, UGANDA ALSO DRAWN IN

Burundian troops are reinforcing Congo's forces, mainly in South Kivu, at the request of the Kinshasa government. Rwanda has put the number at 10,000, UN sources estimate there are several thousand and a Burundian official, who asked not to be named, said they numbered 8,000 to 10,000.

The United Nations has said fighting between the Rwandan and Burundian armies in Congo adds to the risk of a regional war like the one that killed millions between 1996 and 2003, most from hunger and disease.

Burundi's military has declined to comment on this week's developments in Congo.

Uganda, which also has troops in eastern Congo to take on Ugandan rebels based there, said on Friday it would "adopt a forward defensive posture" due to the fighting between Congo's army and M23.

Global powers including the United States, Britain and France have called for an end to the fighting in Congo and have sought to pressure Rwandan President Paul Kagame to end his support for M23.

Following a meeting with Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi in Kinshasa, France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot met with Kagame on Friday. Rwanda's presidency later said they "explored ways to promote peace in the region" without providing details.

Analysts say a reluctance by world powers to take on Rwanda, other global distractions and on-the-ground military realities will complicate efforts to defeat the rebels.