BUKAVU: Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have taken control of the strategic Kavumu airport that serves Bukavu, the region`s second biggest city, the rebel alliance and a civil security source said on Friday.

The rebels have been trying to push south towards Bukavu since they seized Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, at the end of last month. The capture of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, would represent an unprecedented expansion of territory under the M23`s control and deal a further blow to Kinshasa`s authority in the east.

`The city of Bukavu can no longer hold,` a civil society source in Bukavu said. Two people who work at the airport, mostly used for NGO and military flights, said earlier on Friday that it had been effectively closed.

Congolese forces had already removed equipment including drones and military aircraft.

A spokesperson for the rebel alliance that includes M23 said in a post on X that the rebels were in control of the airport, and surrounding areas. A member of the civil security service confirmed, while a UN source, a diplomatic source and an M23 source earlier said the rebels had reached the airport.-Reuters