M23 calls on Bukavu residents to form \”vigilance committees to ensure security\” African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa warns of regional war risk. DRC President Felix Tshisekedi will not attend summit, instead sending Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka. M23 has captured several strategic locations, including Goma, a regional urban hub with over one million residents and 700,000 displaced people. The group has also set up parallel administrations in occupied territories, appointing a \”provincial governor\” in North Kivu last week.. The mineral-rich eastern DRC remains a focal point of conflict, with militias and government forces vying for control over valuable resources such as coltan, tin, tantalum, and gold. A January report by the International Crisis Group, a global conflict analysis organisation, warned that the fall of Goma had displaced thousands and pushed the Great Lakes region closer to widespread conflict. The latest M23 offensive comes weeks after the group claimed to have captured Goma,. Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye also cautioned that the conflict could spiral into a regional war. \”If it continues like this, war risks becoming widespread in the region,\” he warned.
