Bukavu in DR Congo falls to Rwandan-backed M23 rebels

Some people cheered as the fighters entered the city without resistance, two days after taking the airport.

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Some people lined the streets to clap and cheer the fighters as they marched and drove into the city centre without resistance. It is the second city after Goma to fall to the rebels in the mineral-rich region in the past few weeks.

The Congolese government has acknowledged its fall and urged residents to stay at home "to avoid being targeted by the occupying forces".

The UN and European countries have warned that the latest offensive, which has seen hundreds of thousands of people forced from their homes, could spark a wider regional war.

A resident in Bukavu, who asked to remain anonymous because of concerns for her safety, told the BBC on Sunday that most people were still afraid to leave their homes.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0rqr8q5v52o

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