Sawt Falasteen - Fears in Bukavu as M23 seize key airport in eastern DR Congo

Violence in the restive region has sparked fears of a wider conflict, as a number of neighbouring countries already have a military presence on the ground.

The capture of the airport, some 30 kilometres (17 miles) from Bukavu, was the last military obstacle in the way of the M23 group, and prompted fears of an imminent push on the city.

Congolese troops, who according to security sources put up little resistance, were seen heading back to Bukavu in military trucks and on motorbikes laden with mattresses and other belongings.

As other soldiers unloaded their personal effects in the city, which is home to about one million people, local authorities sent staff home and shops shut, an AFP journalist on the scene said.

Bukavu previously fell to soldiers who deserted the Congolese army in 2004 and the capture of the city would effectively give the M23 total control of the vast Lake Kivu area.

- Ceasefire -

Heads of state were due to meet for talks on the crisis in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Friday before this weekend's annual African Union summit.

A temporary lull in the fighting failed to hold earlier this week but outgoing AU chair Moussa Faki Mahamat told AFP it should stop completely.

"The ceasefire must be observed," he said. "Military campaigns are not going to solve these problems. There is a general mobilisation of Africa today on this issue."

One notable absentee from the talks is Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, scuppering any potential face-to-face meeting with his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame.

Tshisekedi was instead in Germany for the Munich Security Conference, his office said late on Thursday. Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka was taking his place on Friday, a statement read.

The latest fighting in eastern DRC has raged for the last three years but the recent upsurge in violence has prompted multiple international calls for de-escalation.

Fears that the conflict could descend into a regional war are increasing with the M23 backed by Rwandan troops, while Uganda, Burundi, and South Africa all have boots on the ground.

The government in Kinshasa has repeatedly called for international sanctions against Kigali but so far to no avail.

Nearly 3,000 people have been killed in the latest violence, according to the United Nations.

In Goma, which the M23 seized in late January and where it began installing its own administration and establishing its own police force, concerns mounted about the worsening humanitarian situation.

Access to water is still cut off in some of the city, with locals forced to collect supplies from Lake Kivu, where bodies from fighting in the city have been recovered.

The UN humanitarian agency OCHA this week warned of a cholera outbreak, while the UNHCR refugee agency has said lack of access to the displaced was hampering relief efforts.

"We urge all parties to stop attacks on civilian infrastructure and guarantee unhindered humanitarian access," UNHCR spokeswoman Eujin Byun said.

- Tensions -

Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced, fleeing their villages as the fighting advanced towards Goma, forcing them into overcrowded and unsanitary camps on the edge of the city.

The M23 have since ordered them all to leave, angering aid agencies. Burundi briefly shut its borders to fleeing Congolese on Thursday afternoon, sources said.

Dozens of mpox patients being treated in hospital isolation units in Goma have also fled for their lives, the World Health Organization in Geneva said on Friday.

Eastern DRC has been riven by conflict for the last three decades.

Kinshasa accuses Kigali of wanting to steal the region's abundant natural resources, including rare earth minerals used in electronic batteries and other devices such as mobile telephones, as well as gold.

Rwanda denies the claim and maintains its national security is under threat from armed groups, in particular the FDLR, which was created by former Hutu leaders in the 1994 genocide against Tutsis.

Both countries have recalled their ambassadors from each other's capitals while the DRC has shut its airspace to Rwandan aircraft.

O.Farraj--SF-PST