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Rwanda-backed M23 rebels captured the city of Bukavu in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) over the weekend, marking a significant and unprecedented expansion of their control after facing little resistance from government forces, the Associated Press reported.

On Sunday, Bukavu residents reportedly cheered on the M23 fighters as they moved through the regional capital of South Kivu province, while others stayed indoors, wary of violence.

Congolese soldiers and allied Burundian troops had already withdrawn from the city Friday, with reports of looting at a World Food Program depot and local supermarkets. Thousands of civilians also fled the city, according to Africanews.

The Congo River Alliance, a rebel coalition that includes M23, said it was “defending the people of Bukavu.”

Over the weekend, DRC President Félix Tshisekedi held an emergency security meeting in the DRC capital Kinshasa, where officials downplayed the occupation, claiming that Bukavu was only “briefly” invaded and remains under government control.

The rapid advance comes weeks after the rebels seized Goma, the capital of the neighboring North Kivu province, sparking increased fears of regional escalation and raising questions about the Congolese government’s ability to maintain control in the country’s volatile and mineral-rich east.

The M23 insurgency – backed by an estimated 4,000 Rwandan troops – has displaced more than six million people in eastern DRC, with at least 350,000 left homeless in recent weeks.

The conflict has killed nearly 3,000 people over the past month, while hundreds of thousands remain without access to aid.

The rebel group has said it is defending the region’s ethnic Tutsis, echoing claims by Rwandan officials that Tutsis in DRC face persecution from Hutu militias similar to those responsible for the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Congo, in turn, has accused Rwanda of supporting the rebellion to gain access to the country’s vast mineral wealth.

The conflict was the main topic of the African Union summit in Ethiopia over the weekend, where United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the situation could spiral into a regional war.

Despite growing international concern, there has been little decisive action against M23 or Rwanda, with world leaders continuing to push for dialogue, Euronews noted.

French President Emmanuel Macron called for an immediate ceasefire, the withdrawal of M23, and the safe return of Congolese authorities to Bukavu.

However, analysts warned that the rebels’ continued advance southward suggests a broader push for political power rather than just territorial control.