Rwandan-backed M23 rebels advanced on Sunday into the centre of Bukavu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, meeting little resistance from government troops, witnesses and the armed group said, as Congo accused Rwanda of ignoring calls for a ceasefire.

The capture of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, would represent an unprecedented expansion of territory under the M23's control since the latest insurgency started in 2022 and deal a further blow to Kinshasa's authority in the east.

Rwanda-backed rebels in eastern Congo have claimed that they have seized a second airport in the region following a days-long advance towards the Kavumu airport.

M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo have captured the eastern city of Bukavu with the backing of Rwandan forces, the second major city in the mineral-rich Kivu region to fall in three weeks.

Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have entered Bukavu, the second-largest city in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, seizing the regional governor's office. Some people lined the streets to clap and cheer the fighters as they marched and drove into the city centre without resistance.

Columns of M23 fighters allied with Rwandan troops on Sunday entered the centre of another key city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as the African Union highlighted growing fears that the strife-torn country could break up.

Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have entered Bukavu, the second-largest city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), during a rapid advance in the region. Watch this report for more details!