MOSCOW, Feb 16 (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) -- The Congolese army, along with local Wazalendo fighters, has regained control of the city of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, where the forces of the M23 rebel group had previously entered, the office of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi said on Sunday, according to Sputnik/RIA Novosti.
On Friday, Agence France Presse reported, citing security and humanitarian sources, that M23 rebels and Rwandan military had entered Bukavu.
"The city of Bukavu, which was briefly invaded by M23 terrorists, is controlled by the Congolese army and the valiant Wazalendo," Tshisekedi's office said on X.
Congolese media website Actualite reported that the situation in Bukavu remains tense, with chaos erupting in several neighbourhoods. Reuters later reported, citing an M23 official and several eyewitnesses that the rebels still remained in the city.
After the failure of Angolan mediation efforts, the M23 anti-government armed group has resumed an offensive in the eastern DRC in recent weeks. The Congolese authorities accuse neighbouring Rwanda of supporting the rebels and urge it to withdraw its troops from the country. Rwanda has denied all the accusations.
After the M23 rebels captured Goma, the capital of the eastern Congolese province of North Kivu, in late January, they advanced towards Bukavu.
-- BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI
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