Reports from South Kivu indicate that M23 rebels, said to be backed by the Rwandan military, are pressing forward across the region in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On Saturday, the group reportedly captured the key town of Luvungi, which lies close to the Burundi border, along with several nearby villages.
The intensified clashes have driven thousands from their homes, leaving communities in fear as the situation worsens.
A spokesperson for the Congolese Armed Forces told Africanews that government troops pulled out of Luvungi to prevent a large-scale humanitarian disaster and safeguard civilians.
In an official communication, the army also claimed that artillery shells fired from inside Rwanda struck residential areas in the Ruzizi plain, resulting in civilian deaths and the destruction of schools, health facilities and homes.
Independent sources now report that the rebels are heading toward Uvira, raising further alarm over the direction of the conflict.
