M23, Rwandan troops seize Bukavu airport in eastern DR Congo

M23 fighters and Rwandan troops seized the airport serving Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday, security and humanitarian sources said.

The strategic site, where Congolese troops had been positioned, was the last military obstacle to the anti-government force before the city of a million people some 30 kilometres (17 miles) away.

The development came as leaders gathered for an African Union summit, including talks on the escalating violence in the region that have sparked fears of a wider conflict.

M23 fighters seized Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu, in a lightning offensive in late January and have since pushed south towards Goma.

According to security sources, the group was met with little resistance in the town of Kavumu where the airport is situated.

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 Lake Kivu area.

An AFP journalist on the ground saw vehicles full of Congolese military heading back towards Bukavu on Friday morning.

Motorbikes laden with mattresses and personal belongings began to be unloaded on the streets of the city.

"The road is full of soldiers with their families and their effects leaving Nyamunyunye," one local villager said, referring to the military camp near the airport.

In Bukavu, the city authorities sent their staff home and shops closed.